Vodka is vegan! And so is our vegan pasta alla vodka. It's good for cooking as well as drinking. Who knew?
Our version uses a homemade cashew cream instead of the usual heavy dairy cream. It's so easy to find vegan parmesan and butter these days, so this dish doesn't miss a thing.
Traditionally pasta alla vodka doesn't include vegetables, but you know us – we can't resist a good helping of veggies (we know, so punk!). It pays to be healthy, so when you do want a treat you can go all out knowing that you've already nourished your body with loads of vegetables 90% of the time – that's what we tell ourselves anyway.
We went with broccoli and peppers for this vegan pasta alla vodka, but if we'd have had mushrooms in the cupboard we wouldn't have hesitated to add those in too. Choose your favourite vegetables to take this dish to the next level.
Vegan Pasta Alla Vodka
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 300g dried pasta (we use wholewheat)
- 1 large onion - chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - finely diced/minced
- 2 red peppers - chopped into chunks
- 150g broccoli - cut into bite-size florets
- 800g chopped tomatoes in juice
- ½ cup / 125ml vodka
- ½ cup cashews - soaked in enough water to cover them for at least an hour (preferably for a few hours/overnight)
- 2 tbsp vegan butter (optional, but makes it extra creamy)
- ½ cup vegan parmesan - grated
- ¼ cup parsley + extra to serve - chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
1. Make sure you get your cashews soaking ahead of time! If you forgot, soak them in hot water for as long as you can, at least 30 minutes.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook your pasta, following the instructions on the packet - before you drain, set aside ½ a cup (125ml) of the starchy pasta water.
3. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil up in a large saucepan or sauté pan, and cook the onions until they're translucent and soft.
4. Add the garlic and peppers, and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Pour in the tomatoes and vodka, add the broccoli, then simmer for around 8 minutes.
6. While the sauce is simmering, blend the cashews, along with the water they've been soaking in, until you get a nice double cream consistency (add a splash more water if you need to).
7. When the 8 minutes is up, stir in the cashew cream, butter and parsley.
8. Season with salt & ground black pepper to taste.
9. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir in to the sauce - add some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce looks a bit too thick.
10. Serve with some parsley and vegan parmesan to finish it off perfectly.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: vegan pasta alla vodka, vegan vodka sauce
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