This Creamy Vegan Penne alla Vodka is perfect for pasta night or a date night meal at home.
This Vegan Penne alla Vodka is rich, creamy and just a little bit indulgent.
This pasta sauce is ultra creamy, but it's made without any cream. Those magical cashews create the luscious creamy element to the sauce. Plus the tomato vodka sauce has only 10 main ingredients plus salt and pepper.
If you are craving a luxurious dairy-free pasta recipe for pasta night, this vegan vodka pasta is the perfect pasta dish to make.
how to make vegan penne pasta
First, you'll want to soak the raw cashews for at least 2 hours.
After the cashews have soaked, rinse and drain them. Blend the cashew with water. Set the cashew cream aside until needed.
Deglaze the pan with vodka and let it reduce by half. Pour in the broth, crushed tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
In a large, high-sided deep skillet or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Deglaze the pan with vodka and let it reduce by half. Pour in the broth, crushed tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare the pasta according to package directions.
Once the sauce is done simmering, stir in the reserved cashew cream.
Stir and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Add the cooked pasta and stir.
I like to garnish the penne alla vodka with fresh basil. It adds a pop of color and freshness to the pasta.
Can vegan penne alla vodka be gluten-free?
For a gluten-free version, simply use your favorite pasta. I actually use gluten-free pasta quite often and for this recipe I used a brown rice penne pasta.
This Creamy Vegan Penne alla Vodka would be the perfect for cozy date night meal at home. It would also make a great Valentine's meal.
Creamy Vegan Penne alla Vodka
This easy Creamy Vegan Penne alla Vodka recipe is rich, creamy and just a little bit indulgent. Perfect meal for a date night at home!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Raw Cashews
- ¾ Cup Water
- 1 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Shallots, finely chopped
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Cup Vodka
- 1 Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1-28 ounce Crushed Tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Pound Penne Pasta
- Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in water for at least 2 hours. Drain the cashews. Add to the blender along with the water. Blend until smooth. Set aside until needed.
- In a large, high-sided deep skillet or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Deglaze the pan with vodka and let it reduce by half. Pour in the broth, crushed tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Once the sauce is done simmering, stir in the reserved cashew cream. Stir and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Add the cooked pasta and stir.
- Add in the chopped basil.
- Serve!
Xo Jeni
Joe
Hi there Jeni-
Is there a way to do this without the vodka? I know that sort of defeats the purpose but I'm allergic to alcohol. Any chance there's a substitution I could make without messing things up too much?
Thanks!
Jeni
Hi Joe!
I would try subbing a good quality vegetable broth to deglaze the pan. I would use it the same way as the vodka. Let about half of the broth evaporate before adding in the tomatoes. You'll still get a very creamy and delicious tomato pasta sauce! 🙂
Jen
If I wanted to just use pre-made raw cashew butter, how much do you think I would need?
Jeni
I'm not too sure. I would start with maybe 1/4 cup and then add more. I am not sure how the consistency would be. I wouldn't think that you would need more than 1/2 cup.
Maggy
Trying this tonight, wondering about if I halve the sauce recipe but still use 1lb of pasta if it will coat it enough? Without fail, for every recipe I follow to a T that calls for a pound of pasta, I end up with so much extra sauce. It isn't the end of the world, but a lot of it ends up sitting in the fridge until it congeals to the point of no return and I'm trying to cut back on waste. I always say that I'll just use the extra in another recipe or make another batch but never end up doing it!
Jeni
I think that you should be ok if you use 1 pound of pasta and half the sauce. If there isn't enough liquid, you can always add a little bit more pasta water to the sauce!
Laurel
The family loved this sauce! Super good. We did serve it over gluten free pasta which gooped up -- I made it too far in advance and it was a corn-based. But the sauce was a keeper. We like it just a bit saltier so we added a little soy sauce, but made the rest as written. Thank you!