Low Fat Penne a La Vodka
"This is a low fat version of Recipe #214699, requested by Mosma in the "Lighten up your favorite comfort food" game. If you don't care for mushrooms, just omit them."
photo by FLKeysJen
- Ready In:
- 1hr 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or other canned tomatoes, pureed in a food processor)
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces fresh white mushrooms, sliced, about 3 cups
- 1⁄8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1⁄4 cup vodka
- 1 cup nonfat milk or 1 cup fat-free half-and-half
- 3⁄4 lb whole wheat penne or 3/4 lb whole wheat rigatoni
- 1⁄8 cup dry parmesan cheese
- fresh basil, sliced, to garnish
directions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium to medium high heat in a large saucepan. Saute onion until starting to brown, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low to medium low heat for 10 minutes.
- During this time, heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute the mushrooms and hot pepper flakes about 5 minutes. Reserve pan.
- Add tomato paste to tomato sauce and mix well. Stir in vodka and mushrooms and simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Start water to boil for pasta.
- Add milk to sauce and incorporate well. Cook another 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep sauce at a low simmer while cooking pasta.
- Cook whole wheat pasta until al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain pasta.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet (you can use the same pan you cooked the mushrooms in). Add pasta and stir to glaze. Add parmesan cheese and mix thoroughly. Stir in sauce. Garnish with basil, and serve.
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Reviews
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I was searching and searching for a lowfat vodka sauce and lo and behold! I added a ton of garlic because I am a garlic-girl but other than that, my mom (yes, my MOM) raved about this as the best thing I've ever made. So, thanks! This one's a keeper! Ps. Makes for a great pre-race pasta dinner! -
This was excellent. I did add just a few garlic cloves and used the skim milk. I also added a few Tbls of parmesan cheese. It tasted just as flavorful as the vodka penne I've had at some very nice italien restaurants. Very easy to put together. Will make this a staple. -
Very good!! Will make this again. Only thing I did different was to add some garlic. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!! FYI - One of those little bottles of Vodka you get at the liquor store measures 1/4 c exactly. The last one I bought was about $1.00. -
This was delicious! I enjoyed the spicy yet creamy taste. A keeper, for sure. -
This had a really nice sweet and spicy flavor, although creamy too! Kind of hard to describe, but my family really enjoyed it! I used stewed tomatoes and lowfat milk. Served with regular penne pasta and topped with italian seasoning instead of fresh basil (as my family thinks it's too strong tasting) I will make this again for sure. Thanks for sharing ~V
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Tweaks
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I have wanted to try a vodka based pasta sauce for some time now but since I have to stick to a low fat eating plan I have always skipped over the recipes because so many use cream and often heavy cram at that. So, I was really pleased to be able to give this recipe a try. We had it along side a green salad and it made for a tasty evening meal. I used a cooking spray instead of the oil to 'fry' the onions and the mushrooms to knock a bit more fat out of it and then just used the amount of oil suggested for glazing the pasta towards the end and I think that worked out well. Made for the Family Picks portion of the ZWT4. -
My five star rating is based on the recipe with quite a few changes I made, including using fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, light alfredo sauce in place of the milk and baby portobellos for the mushrooms. I added the mushrooms to the onions after the onions were cooked - but before the tomatoes - to cut down on the number of pans used. The red pepper flakes, chopped fresh basil and vodka are important flavor in the sauce. I skipped Step#8/glazing and added the pasta to the pan with the sauce and stirred, then sprinkled cheese across the top on the plates.
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This had a really nice sweet and spicy flavor, although creamy too! Kind of hard to describe, but my family really enjoyed it! I used stewed tomatoes and lowfat milk. Served with regular penne pasta and topped with italian seasoning instead of fresh basil (as my family thinks it's too strong tasting) I will make this again for sure. Thanks for sharing ~V
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Maito
United States
