No Cream - No Cry Penne Alla Vodka

Submitted by internetnut

"The dirty little secret about Penne alla Vodka is not the vodka but the hefty amount of heavy cream. Vodka is colorless, odorless, and without much flavor—not really attributes of a superstar ingredient. It’s the combination of cream and tomato sauce that gives this dish its signature flavor. The traditional cream is swapped here for low-fat Greek yogurt. This came from Obesity Help. I have not tried this, just posting for easy finding."

 

• Ready In: 29mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 8 ounces whole wheat penne
• 2 cups roccoa s how low can you go low-fat marinara sauce or 2 cups store-bought low fat marinara sauce
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 7 ounces container 2% Greek yogurt
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, about 9 minutes; drain.
2. While the pasta is cooking, bring the marinara sauce and crushed red pepper to a simmer in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Cook the sauce, stirring it occasionally with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, until it is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the saute pan from the heat.
3. Stir about 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the yogurt until smooth (this tempers it and prevents the yogurt from curdling). Then whisk the yogurt mixture back into the marinara sauce.
4. In a large serving bowl, toss the sauce with the drained penne and the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and serve.