Creamy Pasta Alla Vodka with Homemade Marinara Sauce

This quick, yummy, easy pasta dish always takes me back to my student years! A friend once gave me the recipe and over the years I have perfected it to my personal flavor. The canned tomatoes were the first thing to go. Nothing tastes better than homemade marinara sauce. It so easy to make and you can cook bigger batches and freeze for later. After the canned tomatoes, the heavy cream had to make room for homemade yogurt.

Though it doesn't taste like alcohol at all, the vodka gives it a rather special and unique flavor. Believe me, the strange yet yummilicious combination surprised me too so many years ago.... and the best thing! It is super easy to make.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the marinara sauce (makes about 2 cups, feel free to double, triple recipe and freeze for later)

1 pounds tomatoes, halved
3 cloves of garlic, skin on and lightly crushed
1/2 cup roughly chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
½ cup water
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried thyme

For the pasta

2.5 cups penne, uncooked
1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt (cream works too)
2 tbsp vodka, or to taste
Add chili paste for spicy version
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped parsley, to taste
Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, to taste

Directions

The marinara sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.
2. Place garlic and tomatoes (cut-side down) on the baking sheet with a little cooking oil. Roast for 15 minutes. When ready, remove the tomato skins and push garlic out of their peels too.
3. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook onion for 7 to 8 minutes or until softened but not browned.
4. Add cooked and peeled tomatoes and garlic to a blender and puree until smooth. Add water if needed.
5. When onions are translucent, stir in carrots, tomato puree, water, oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6. We love little veggie pieces in our marinara sauce but you can blend all the sauce ingredients again if you want a smoother consistency.

To make the vodka penne

1. Cook penne in lightly salted water until al dente.
2. Add yogurt/cream, vodka, chili paste, and salt and pepper to the marinara sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
3. Combine drained penne and sauce in a pot and stir well. Divide over serving bowls and top with fresh parsley and nutritional yeast or parmesan.

Enjoy ;-)

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL!
PICTURE(s) TAKEN WITH FUJI X-M1

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