This healthy vodka pasta is my take on the traditional vodka pasta that is tomato-y, creamy, and also packed with protein and veggies. It’s the ultimate comfort food but with my spin for a lighter and brighter version version.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Short Pasta – I like to use rigatoni pasta, which a slightly larger shape than penne so the sauce can also get inside the pasta 🙂 You can use any shape of pasta you enjoy, but I recommend using a short pasta vs a long pasta. If you are gluten free, feel free to substitute with a gluten free pasta.
Aromatics – This recipe calls for both yellow onion as part of the sauce. This creates a rich depth of flavor that is critical. If you can’t have onions, can you skip it or substitute celery. I also use freshly minced garlic to round out the dish and bring in a delicious garlicy flavor.
Seasonings & Spices – Red pepper flake, kosher salt, and black pepper are my essential spices. Simplicity is best here and the red pepper flake adds just a touch of heat!
Vegetables – I love to add in vegetables to make this feel well balanced and whole as an individual dish. The vegetables and lighter dairy additions of butter cream are what make this my lighter and healthy vodka pasta. I use red peppers, green lentils, diced tomatoes, and chard.
Tomato paste – I use just a couple tablespoons of tomato paste to amp up the tomato flavor. It’s optional, but something definitely contributes to a delicious tomato-flavor throughout the dish.
Canned Tomatoes – A key component to the sauce and tomato-y goodness that is Vodka Pasta. Feel free to substitute with fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes (just not tomato sauce).
Vodka – It’s in the name and a traditional part of the recipe, but to be honest, you can’t really taste the vodka. Skip it if you don’t have it, or add a splash of white wine.
Sausage – A flavorful protein that I add to this dish to make it more well-balanced, and the flavors from the sausage melt into the sauce which gives it a whole another layer. Feel free to omit completely without modifying the rest of the ingredients for a more traditional Vodka Pasta.
Dairy – I firmly believe you can get the luxurious, delicious aspects of a traditional vodka pasta without all the butter and cream most recipes call for. A little bit goes a long way in my opinion, and makes gives this dish it’s unique, creamy flavor.
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Healthy Vodka Pasta
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This healthy vodka pasta is my take on the traditional vodka pasta that is tomato-y, creamy, and also packed with protein and veggies.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 lb short pasta
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup green lentils
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lb sausage
- 1 head chard
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
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Prep the vegetables – dice the onion and red pepper.
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In another medium pot or saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil on medium high heat, then add the diced onion and red pepper. Add a big pinch of salt and give this a stir. Let cook for 5-6 minutes, or until soft. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
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As the vegetables are cooking down, mince the garlic and prep the chard. Wash the chard, then strip the leaves from the stems. You can dice the stems and add this to the vegetables cooking, or you can discard. Set aside the leaves to prep in a few minutes.
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Once the vegetables are soft, add in the garlic, tomato paste, vodka, and red pepper flake. Give everything a stir and let cook until you smell the garlic, about 1 minute. Add in the diced tomatoes, lentils, water, and another big pinch of salt. Let cook for 15 minutes on medium high heat, or until the lentils are soft. Once soft taste and adjust seasoning with more salt.
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As the lentils are cooking, finish the chard prep. Roll the leaves, then slice the chard into 1/2” wide pieces. This doesn’t need to be perfect – you can rip pieces with your hands if you prefer. This would also be a great time to cook your pasta – bring a pot up to a boil, salt the water, and cook the short pasta according to package instructions. I like to use rigatoni pasta. When cooked, drain and rinse.
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Once the lentils are soft, add this mixture to a blender along with the butter and 1/2 cup of water (you can also immersion blend if you prefer) and blend until smooth. Keep this mixture in the blender as you finish the remaining ingredients.
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Give your sauce pan a quick rinse. Heat this pan on medium high heat, then add the sausage. Break into pieces and begin to let this brown – about 2-3 minutes. Add the chard to to sausage and a pinch of salt, and let the chard cook down until tender, about another 4-5 minutes. Add the blended sauce back into the pan, add the heavy cream, taste adjust seasoning as desired, and serve with the pasta.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
If you liked this Healthy Vodka Pasta, Here are a few OTHER EASY WEEKNIGHT DINNER IDEAS you might like:
Should I drain the diced tomatoes?
Hi Victoria,
No need to drain the diced tomatoes – all the juices in there add to the sauce!
I cooked the sauce for a long time and the lentils never softened. I gave up after about 45 minutes, I don’t know what I’m missing…
Hi Sarah, sorry to hear that the lentils never softened. I unfortunately haven’t run into that issue before. Can I ask if you used green lentils? If you still have the mixture, you could re-cook it today and I bet since they soaked in the other juices, they will soften pretty quickly.
In the future, make sure to buy the green lentils as they are small and should cook within 30 minutes (at most!).
I used green lentils. I think the issue might be that in this recipe you say to add the water in the blender – in your IG video, you say to add the water in the pot with the lentils and simmer. That step isn’t in this recipe.
You’re right – I’m so sorry about that. The water should go in with the lentils. That being said, the lentils should have still cooked and softened with the liquid of the diced tomatoes. I just updated the recipe here – thank you for sharing your feedback.
Love a good vodka pasta and this one is absolutely delicious!