If you love decadent, cheesy, and incredibly creamy pasta, my slimmed down Penne alla Vodka will definitely win a place at your dinner table. By making a few tweaks, I slashed the calories and bumped up the protein…all without sacrificing its signature flavor. Dig in!

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Penne alla Vodka

If you love decadent, cheesy, and incredibly creamy pasta, my slimmed down Penne alla Vodka will definitely win a place at your dinner table.
Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
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Ingredients
 

  • 14 oz whole grain penne, dry
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • ½ cup part-skim ricotta
  • ¼ cup half & half
  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • ¼ cup vodka
  • ¼ cup Parmesan
  • ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Optional ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta according to package instructions.
  • Liberally coat a skillet with oil spray and warm over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté about 6 minutes, add garlic during the last 2 minutes and saute until soft and lightly browned. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the marinara sauce and vodka, then whisk in the half & half.
  • Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes until everything is nice and hot. Then mix in the ricotta cheese, Parmesan, salt, ground black pepper and optional red pepper flakes. Mix with cooked pasta. Season with additional salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and optional basil leaves. Enjoy!

Notes

1 serving = about 2 cups of saucy pasta
Author: Joy Bauer, MS, RDN, CDN

Nutrition Information per serving

Calories: 360Carbohydrates: 58gProtein: 15gTotal Fat: 7g— Unsaturated Fat: 4g— Saturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 630mgFiber: 8gTotal Sugar: 7g— Natural Sugar: 7g— Added Sugar: 0g
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.
I’m hoping you loved this recipe! If you made it and want to share feedback, I’d be so grateful to hear from you. Please leave a review below or tag @joybauer on Instagram!