Vodka Pasta – But Make It Vegan

 

Ingredients

For the pasta

• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp mixed herbs dried
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 60 ml vodka
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 250 grams penne pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 150 grams cashews
• 1 x 280 gram jar of sun-dried tomatoes
• 150 ml almond milk
• 20 grams nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste

To serve

• Nutritional yeast to taste
• Basil leaves

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

• Place the cashews into a bowl and cover with boiling water.
• Leave to one side for at least an hour until needed.

Make the base

• Peel and dice the onions and garlic.
• Place a large pan over a medium heat and add a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
• Once warm, add the diced onion, garlic and a pinch of salt.
• Mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
• Add the paprika, dried mixed herbs and chili flakes and cook for a couple more seconds.
• Turn the heat down to low while you add the vodka (or any alcohol) to the pan.
• Mix through the vodka before bringing the mixture to a boil.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.

Make the sauce

• Drain the cashews and place them into a powerful blender along with the rest of the sauce ingredients, blend until smooth.
• Add a dash more almond milk if needed to make a smooth, creamy sauce.

Cook the pasta

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
• Once boiling, add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than stated on pack.
• Once cooked, drain the pasta (saving some of the pasta water to mix through later).

Finish the pasta

• Once the vodka has had time to cook down, pour the sauce into the pan with the pasta and cook for a few minutes until heated through.
• Add a dash of pasta water to make the sauce really creamy and cook for a few more minutes until everything is piping hot.
• Roughly chop the basil and sprinkle on top of the pasta, along with a good sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a pinch of pepper.