Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Vodka Sauce
- By Amy Dong
- Published Sep. 15, 2015
- Updated Aug. 17, 2022
Get out of a boring dinner rut with this mouthwatering Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Vodka Sauce. Don’t be fooled by its title; this dish is as easy as it gets.
Despite it being mid-September, our mini gardens are surprising us with an early-fall flourish. All summer long, the tomatoes, basil, parsley, and mints were barely hanging on.
We did grow superhero-sized raspberries, romaine lettuce, and kale {all on mysterious steroids} but the rest of the garden limped along sadly. We had pretty much given up on the limpers.
This was also the first summer The Littles got their own little pocket of land to plant whatever they chose to put into the ground. [We didn’t have the heart to tell them their watermelon seedling probably wouldn’t make it in this neck of the woods…]
At least we were able to convince the boys to plant some realistic stuff. They’ve been rewarded with plump, juicy cherry + grape tomatoes, red strawberries, and enough spearmint to make a mountain of chewing gum.
But here’s the thing. Now that we’re getting a bunch of late bloomer tomatoes ready to burst, our Littlest Little harvests them immediately and devours them like candy. He literally loves all tomatoes more than chocolate. Don’t ask.
Meaning I kinda have to fight a 6-year-old for my share of tomatoes. It’s a first come, first served deal. We’re weird.
Thankfully, there are sun-dried tomatoes in my panty all year round. Very few things can parallel the robustly aromatic flavor of sun-dried tomatoes.
Combine that with plenty of garlic, onion, spices, and oh yeah…vodka 🙂 You know it’s destined for deliciousness.
By the way, you can totally feed this to your kiddos. The alcohol content in the vodka is cooked off, leaving a finished sauce that has a soft, yummy zing to it.
Here’s to gardens that grow in their own timing.
Just when you least expect it.
Enjoy.
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Penne with Sun Dried Tomato Vodka Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- ⅓ cup vodka
- 12 oz dry penne pasta
- 3 TB olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (I use the dry kind. If yours is packed in oil, drain first.)
- 1 TB granulated sugar
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup plain whole yogurt
- Freshly shaved parmesan for topping
- Optional: chopped basil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot, bring well-salted water to a boil. While you're waiting, place half of the diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the vodka and remaining diced tomatoes. Set aside and keep warm.
- Cook penne pasta just until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain very well, but don't rinse. Return drained pasta to pot and toss with 1 TB olive oil. Cover to keep warm.
- In a large skillet, add 2 TB olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onion and garlic; stir 1 minute. Add sun-dried tomatoes, tomato-vodka sauce, sugar, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add yogurt and stir to incorporate, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- Pour sauce over the warm pasta in pot, tossing to combine well. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. If desired, garnish with chopped basil or parsley.
Notes
Nutrition (per serving)
Source: Chew Out Loud
We’re big fans of easy weeknight pasta meals. Especially ones that grown-ups and kids alike will gobble up:
- Creamy Bruschetta Pasta. All the flavors of a tomato-basil bruschetta, in easy pasta form.
- One-Pan Skillet Lasagna. Get all the yum of lasagna, without the layering and fuss. Perfect Tuesday night meal.
- One Pot Pizza Pasta. Make it pizza-pasta night, all in just one pot. No big mess to clean up.
- Chunky Sausage and Vegetable Pasta Sauce. Gold medal jackpot. ↓↓ Our family’s favorite pasta sauce…chock full of Good For You in every bite. Great over all shapes and sizes of pastas. The possibilities are endless with this delectable sauce.
