If you follow me on Instagram, you know my go-to “we have nothing to eat” dish is pasta. Usually I just amp up a red sauce but what’s even better? Vegan vodka sauce. My first memory of vodka sauce was jarred Bertolli vodka sauce that my mom used to buy when I was younger. I always remember being excited when I saw it in the pantry or fridge, but I hadn’t ever tried making it myself. Until now! This Vegan Vodka Pasta is so easy and so delicious that I can’t believe it took me this long to make my own.
Preparing and Serving Vegan Vodka Pasta
This vodka sauce is a pretty traditional rendition. It starts with sauteing shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes in olive oil before adding tomato paste. Like a lot of tomato paste. It seems like a lot but it gives an intense deep tomato flavor. After the tomato paste cooks down to a brick red color, the pan is deglazed with vodka.
Now this is where the recipe derails from traditional vodka sauce. Typically to make the sauce creamy, you’d add heavy cream or half and half but to keep this dairy free, I used a cashew cream to achieve that creaminess that is essential for vodka sauce. Very same technique used for my Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup. Instead of just a plain cashew cream, miso paste and nutritional yeast amp up the flavor and add depth and umami. You can use any pasta shape such as linguine or penne, but I love rigatoni since it holds onto so much sauce.
Top with vegan Parmesan cheese and and fresh basil and serve. Such an easy and quick pasta dish that feels so special and decadent. All these ingredients are pantry staples which means you can have homemade Vegan Vodka Sauce like any day of the week!
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Vegan Vodka Pasta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Vodka Sauce has the same creamy and velvety sauce you’d expect from a traditional vodka sauce except without any dairy.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Rigatoni
- Olive oil
- 1 Shallot, minced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Tomato paste
- 1/3 cup Vodka
- Cashew cream (1/2 cup soaked cashews blended with 3/4 cup water)
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 3/4 cup pasta water
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Soak cashews in water for at least 1 hour (preferred 2 hours). After soaking, drain and blend with ¾ cup water, miso paste, and nutritional yeast for 2 minutes until smooth. Set aside.
- Boil a large pot of water with a healthy pinch of salt and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ¾ cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic, red pepper flakes and sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and beginning to soften.
- Lower heat to low. Add tomato paste and sauté until tomato paste darkens to a brick red color.
- Add vodka and stir to incorporate.
- Add cashew cream, pasta water, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and bring to a low simmer. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in pasta. Top with fresh basil or parsley and serve.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Main, pasta
Keywords: vegan pasta, vegan vodka sauce
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