My first expertise with Penne alla Vodka with Chicken was cooking a “gourmand” meal for a gaggle of faculty pals in our dorm’s basement kitchen. Wanting again, I’m undecided which impresses me extra: our resourcefulness (that kitchen was geared up with little past a sizzling pot and some forks somebody had “donated” from the eating corridor) or our audacity—we made vodka sauce on a campus that doesn’t permit vodka. After one chew, we felt validated. The pasta tasted creamy, superb, and completely well worth the threat.

Whereas I don’t bear in mind anything we ate—my hunch is the total menu included the penne alla vodka with rooster, wine (from a field), and cake (additionally from a field)—penne alla vodka has been considered one of my favourite consolation meals dishes since.

Each time I eat it, I’m transported again to that enjoyable, foolish evening and the enjoyment of excellent firm.

Should you aren’t acquainted with penne alla vodka or are questioning how you can make a vodka sauce, it’s a luxurious mixture of crushed tomatoes and cream which you could prepare dinner shortly in your range prime.

Whereas usually reverse ends of the sauce spectrum, in penne vodka, tomatoes and cream meld collectively to create one thing actually fabulous. The key of their union is the dish’s namesake.

As its title suggests, penne alla vodka is made with vodka, which is cooked down. The vodka prevents the acidity of the tomatoes from inflicting the cream to interrupt and separate. That is culinary science at its most luxurious.

The excessive depend of basic penne alla vodka energy sometimes places it on the “particular indulgence” checklist. Whereas that is perhaps true of conventional recipes that use heavy cream, at present’s vodka sauce recipe makes use of a sneaky swap to show it right into a extra wholesome pasta which you could get pleasure from often.

Actually, this sneaky penne is fully dairy free, and should you determine to skip the rooster, it’s (gasp!) vegan too.

Right here’s my promise: you gained’t really feel like you’re sacrificing within the least.

Like the opposite wholesome twists on Italian favorites you’ll discover right here (Crock Pot Chicken Marsala, Garlic Shrimp Pasta, and Gradual Cooker Chicken Cacciatore being however three of many wholesome pasta recipes), this lightened up penne alla vodka tastes like the whole lot you’re hoping for while you determine to make it within the first place: wealthy, filled with taste, and completely delicious.

What Does the Vodka Do in Penne alla Vodka?

Opposite to what the title suggests, penne alla vodka does not style like vodka. As a substitute, the vodka acts as a taste balancer. The alcohol burns off throughout cooking.

• In vodka sauce, the vodka does two essential jobs. It retains the “cream” from separating, and it helps launch further taste from the tomatoes.
• Because the vodka cooks down, it additionally provides a light-weight chew to the sauce, balancing the pure sweetness of the tomatoes and cream.

Should you’re in a position, I extremely counsel making an attempt this recipe with the vodka. Nevertheless, should you want an alternative to vodka in penne alla vodka, you might strive omitting it or utilizing water with a squeeze of lemon juice as an alternative. *I’ve not tried this swap earlier than, so it could be an experiment. Should you determine to mess around and make the penne with out vodka sauce, I’d love to listen to the way it goes!*

The Greatest Penne alla Vodka with Chicken Recipe (Completed Lighter!)

 Just a few of the thin swaps on this penne alla vodka with rooster recipe have been easy, akin to changing the common penne with complete wheat penne for an additional increase of vitamins, fiber, and protein.

The biggest problem (and thus the one I most wished to deal with) was what to do with the total cup plus of heavy cream referred to as for in lots of basic penne alla vodka recipes, each the variations I’ve learn in cookbooks and those by superstar cooks (like penne alla vodka by Giada).

My answer? A “cream” made from floor almonds and almond milk.

The Almond “Cream” Sauce

• Almonds + Almond Milk. The secrets and techniques to our dairy-free creamy vodka sauce. Almond milk has lengthy been my go-to ingredient to provide candy and savory recipes (like this Healthy Chicken Pot Pie and Creamy Polenta with Zucchini and Tomatoes) richness with out including extra energy. Mixed with the majority and wholesome fat within the floor almonds, it creates essentially the most unimaginable “cream” that, as soon as stirred into the vodka sauce, is a dead-ringer for the Italian basic. Plus, almonds are a beautiful supply of fiber and protein.

Different Substances

• Chicken. Browning the rooster first provides fantastic, deep taste to the dish. I feel that rooster meat is finest with vodka sauce, however I’ve provided some different concepts within the Recipe Variations part beneath.
• Penne. I used complete wheat penne, however any related complete wheat pasta noodle will work properly with this vodka sauce.
• Vodka. There’s a motive it’s within the recipe’s title. Whilst you can’t style the vodka particularly, it performs a vital function within the sauce coming collectively cohesively and provides the pasta its signature style. I promise it’s value it!
• Crushed Tomatoes. The tomatoes mix seamlessly with the almond “cream” for a richly flavored sauce.
• Parmesan or Dietary Yeast. Whereas optionally available, I like including tacky taste to my penne vodka. Should you don’t want the dish to be dairy free, you may add a little bit of Parmesan. We opted for dietary yeast, which is loaded with vitamins and has an analogous “tacky” style to Parmesan. (See all my recipes utilizing dietary yeast right here.)
• Recent Herbs. A bathe of basil or parsley provides a pleasant contact of freshness and coloration.

The Instructions

1. Soak the almonds, then add them to a blender with the almond milk. Mix till easy.
2. Brown the rooster, and season with salt and pepper. Take away to a plate, then sauté the onion and garlic in the identical pot.
3. Pour within the vodka (very rigorously), and deglaze the pot. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and purple pepper flakes. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then stir within the almonds.
4. Because the sauce is simmering, prepare dinner your pasta. Add the pasta and rooster to the sauce, prime with Parmesan or dietary yeast and herbs. ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

• Penne alla Vodka with Chicken and Broccoli. Stir steamed broccoli or roasted broccoli into the pasta on the finish.
• Penne alla Vodka with Chicken and Spinach. Stir in a couple of handfuls of chopped spinach leaves simply earlier than serving, permitting the warmth of the pasta to wilt the leaves.
• Penne alla Vodka with Chicken and Shrimp. After sautéing the rooster in Step 2, sauté 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp; stir it in with the rooster on the finish.
• Vegetarian Penne alla Vodka. Merely omit the rooster. Because of the almonds, this pasta recipe continues to be lots satisfying with out it.
• Penne alla Vodka with Grilled Chicken. Swap the sauteed rooster for grilled, diced rooster breast.
• Penne alla Vodka with Pancetta, Prosciutto, or Bacon. Take penne alla vodka to the following stage. Omit the rooster, and sauté Four ounces of diced pancetta, prosciutto, or bacon with the garlic and onion.
• Penne alla Vodka with Sausage. Omit the rooster, and brown 1 pound of crumbled or chopped Italian sausage (faraway from its casing) as an alternative. To maintain the recipe on the wholesome facet, use rooster or turkey sausage.

Penne Vodka Storage Suggestions

This simple pasta makes an enormous batch and reheats properly, so it’s a terrific recipe to prepare dinner originally of the week, then hold available for quick, wholesome meals all week lengthy.

• To Retailer. Hold leftover penne vodka in an hermetic storage container within the fridge for as much as Four days.
• To Reheat. Gently rewarm leftovers in a Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-low warmth, splashing in broth, almond milk, or water as wanted to loosen the sauce. You can too reheat this recipe within the microwave.
• To Freeze. Retailer penne alla vodka with rooster in an hermetic freezer-safe storage container within the freezer for as much as Three months. Let thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating.

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