Bow tie pasta is tossed with a creamy and spicy homemade tomato sauce to give you one comforting meal! This delicious recipe is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Ready for one of the easiest pasta recipes you will ever find? Good! Because that’s exactly what I’m sharing with you all today! This pasta with vodka sauce recipe has been in my family for years and it’s down right delicious! (I feel like there should be a much fancier name for this dish other than “pasta with vodka sauce”, but that’s what my mom always called it growing up so that’s the name I’m sticking with today. 😉 ) It’s bright, creamy, hearty from all the prosciutto and this version is completely dairy free too! So first things first, let’s talk about those ingredients!
Ingredients:
- Boxed pasta: You can use any type of pasta you want for this recipe. (My personal favorite is farfalle or bow tie pasta.)
- Prosciutto
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Sugar: A necessity – DO NOT skip this step!
- Heavy cream: I’ve used regular heavy cream and dairy free heavy cream for this recipe and both turned out great!
- Dried basil
- Dried parsley
- Salt & pepper
- Red chili flakes
You might have noticed that I didn’t mention vodka… That’s because we’ve never actually made this dish using any vodka and personally I prefer it this way! 🙂
Why do I add sugar to this sauce recipe?
Believe it or not, the sugar actually helps to counter balance the saltiness of the tomato sauce. If you’re looking to keep this recipe refined sugar free, you could also use coconut sugar or a different granulated sweetener of your choice. I haven’t personally tried doing this yet, but I imagine it wouldn’t alter the flavor too much since we’re using a very small amount.
What type of noodles can I use?
I used farfalle (or bow tie) noodles for this recipe but you can really use any type of noodle you want. Some of my other personal favorites are penne and rigatoni!
How can I make this sauce dairy free?
Because the only dairy we’re using in this recipe is heavy cream, simply swap out the regular cream for a dairy free heavy cream. I used one by Silk for my dairy free version and absolutely loved it! You can usually find these dairy free alternatives right next to the regular creamers in most grocery stores. However some stores may have a separate place for their dairy free items, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for just ask someone for help. 🙂
Side Note: Heavy whipping cream is also the same thing as heavy cream!
How can I make this pasta dish gluten free?
This is so easy! (Especially since we’re not using any actual vodka in this recipe!) Simply use your favorite gluten free brand of pasta and you’re good to go! Some of my favorite gluten free brands are Banza and Barilla.
This is a pretty straight forward recipe but it’s also one that I absolutely LOVE! I hope you all enjoy it too!
Have the very best day! 🙂
More recipes like this:
- Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta
- Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Easy Spinach Lasagna Rolls
- Chicken Caprese Quesadillas
[Made one of my recipes? Make sure to tag my social media @kalefornia_kravings – I love seeing what you create!]
Pasta with Vodka Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 box farfalle pasta (or use penne)
- 2 packages prosciutto, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream (use dairy free if applicable)
- Salt & pepper, to taste.
- 1 Tbsp +1½ tsp basil
- 1 Tbsp + 1½ tsp parsley
- Red chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the box directions. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Saute the onions in a large skillet over medium heat until soft. Then add the prosciutto and garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the prosciutto is cooked all the way through. (About 1-2 more minutes)
- Add the tomatoes, sugar, dried basil, dried parsley and red chili flakes. Stir then turn the burner down to medium low and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes. (Make sure to stir the sauce every now and then.) Stir in the cream when done.
- Pour the sauce over your cooked pasta and serve immediately.
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