Penne alla Vodka

5 from 16 votes

A lighter version of the Italian favorite. My recipe for Penne alla Vodka has all of the luscious, creamy texture of the original but is completely guilt free!

Servings:

Calories: 330kcal

Author: Geri

Ingredients

1 lb dried whole wheat penne
1 cup reserved pasta water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 ounce can crushed plum tomatoes
1/3 cup vodka (you can use stock and reduce points by 1 per serving)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup grated parmesan

Instructions

Boil your penne in a large pot of salted water. Undercook by 1 minute, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of salted pasta water before draining. Set aside.
In a very large skillet or dutch oven, saute minced garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat ad add in tomatoes, vodka, onion powder, sugar, dried basil, salt, and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 8-10 minutes. This will be enough time for the alcohol to burn off.
Cut your cream cheese into small squares. Whisk a couple of squares at a time into your sauce until melted. Repeat until all cream cheese is incorporated.
Turn burner to low. Whisk parmesan cheese into sauce, then add in cooked penne. Increase heat to medium-low and cook until pasta and sauce are melded together. Splash in reserved pasta water as you go until you reach the consistency you like.

Notes

Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Serving size is 1 1/3 cup pasta and sauce

Green WW SmartPoints: 9 for 1 1/3 cup pasta and sauce

Blue WW SmartPoints: 9 for 1 1/3 cup pasta and sauce

Purple WW SmartPoints: 3 for 1 1/3 cup pasta and sauce

Nutrition