One of my favorite indulgent pasta dishes is Penne a la Vodka. If you never have tried this, you must! It’s a creamy tomato sauce with sweet shallots and a touch of vodka, its the best! However, it is way too caloric of a meal for me so I have tried to lighten it up while trying to maintain the flavor.
Here, I reduced the amount of cream used by using just a few tablespoons of half n half. I also only used 1/3 cup of vodka. Give it a try!
Light vodka sauce
1 28 oz can of tomato puree
1 16 oz can of tomato sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, diced finely
3 tablespoons of half n half
1/3 cup of vodka (I prefer Stolinaya)
small handful of fresh chopped basil
EVOO
freshly grated parmesan cheese
Set shallots over a tablespoon of EVOO and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add vodka and bring to a boil and back to a simmer. Simmer down to about half. Add tomato sauce, tomato puree, and half n half. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Then add fresh chopped basil and stir through right before serving.
Serve with your favorite pasta and freshly grated cheese on top!
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