Creamy Dairy Free Penne alla Vodka. A creamy, savory, herby plate with perfectly cooked pasta and topped with basil. This is the perfect, healthy weeknight meal that is super quick and easy to make but offers some delicious, fresh flavors. I use a gluten free penne in this recipe too just to add a little bit more health into the mix!
Penne alla Vodka has always been one of my favorite pasta dishes. There was one restaurant we went to growing up and penne alla vodka was my order every single time. It also helped that the dinner roll that came with it was easily one of the best dinner rolls I have ever, definitely made my order decision much easier!
Overall, pasta was not one of my favorite meals growing up unless I ordered it out. We usually only had spaghetti though with canned sauce and I eventually just grew tired of it. Now, as most people are, I am obsessed with pasta dishes! But, the sauce has to be fresh. I don't do the canned sauce option too often anymore. I do keep some on hand in case we ever need an extremely quick dinner, but they end up sitting in my cabinets for months until they are ever used.
Ingredients:
- gluten free penne pasta
- crushed tomatoes
- olive oil
- vodka
- shallots
- garlic cloves
- full fat coconut milk
- oregano
- salt and pepper
- fresh basil (garnish)
Kitchen Appliances:
The Steps:
In a skillet, add olive oil and heat on medium. Add diced shallots and minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté until shallots and garlic are fragrant. Add in crushed tomato and vodka. Bring to a simmer covered for 10 minutes so the alcohol can cook out. Boil pasta according to the directions on the box. Add in coconut milk to the sauce. Simmer another 3-5 minutes. Add salt, pepper and oregano. Mix well.
Add in pasta and fold in. Slice basil and add on top as a garnish. Serve immediately.
Do I have to use gluten free pasta?
Absolutely not! It is totally up to you as to whether or not you want your dish to be gluten free or not. That is the best part with pasta dishes, you can almost always replace the pasta with gluten free pasta or vice versa without changing the sauce.
Is it safe to feed this to kids with vodka in it?
Yes, the alcohol is plenty cooked out by time it reaches your plate and it is perfectly suitable to serve to kids. The only thing left of the vodka in the end is the flavoring to the sauce.
If you love this recipe, you might also love:
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
- Creamy Lemon Pasta and Meatballs
- Turkey and Feta Stuffed Peppers with Tzatziki Sauce
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Creamy Dairy Free Penne alla Vodka
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb gluten free penne pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes canned
- ¼ cup vodka
- 2 shallots diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ cup full fat coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- basil sliced to garnish
Instructions
- In a skillet, add olive oil and heat on medium. Add diced shallots and minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté until shallots and garlic are fragrant.
- Add in crushed tomato and vodka. Bring to a simmer covered for 10 minutes so the alcohol can cook out.
- Boil pasta according to the directions on the box.
- Add in coconut milk to the sauce. Simmer another 3-5 minutes.
- Add salt, pepper and oregano. Mix well.
- Add in pasta and fold in. Slice basil and add on top as a garnish. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition

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