Spicy Vegan Vodka Pasta

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2.5 cups rigatoni/penne/fusilli

• 2 tbsp nuttlex

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 white onion, diced finely

• 2 tbsp EVOO

• Chilli flakes to taste

• Dried oregano to taste

• Dried thyme to taste

• 1 can tomato paste

• 1/3 cup vodka

• 1/3 – 1/2 can coconut cream

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1/3 – 1/2 cup vegan parmesan

• Splash of unsweetened almond milk

• Chopped fresh parsley to taste

METHOD

1. Heat a large pot of water to cook your pasta. While waiting for it to boil on the boiling plate, begin making your sauce.

2. Heat up olive oil in a pan and cook onions on the simmering plate until translucent and lightly golden. Add freshly ground black pepper, chilli flakes, oregano and thyme and cook for 1-2 more minutes, then add in garlic whole-we just want to infuse the garlic flavour, so as not to overpower the other aromatics.

3. Add in tomato paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

4. Add in the vodka, allowing it to simmer briefly, before adding in your coconut cream, half the nuttlex and splash of almond milk (if you want less of a coconut flavour, use about 1/3 can and slightly more almond milk instead!). After simmering for a minute, remove from heat and spoon out the whole garlic cloves.

5. Heavily salt your pasta water and cook your pasta 2-3 minutes less than package instructions, it will finish cooking in the pasta sauce. Reserve about a cup of pasta water.

6. Drain pasta and add to the sauce, along with pasta water as needed. Add in the vegan parmesan and remaining nuttlex. Return the pan to heat to melt through the cheese and nuttlex and finish cooking the pasta, adding reserved water as needed.

7. Serve with more parmesan cheese, a sprinkling of chilli flakes and parsely to taste.

Tip:
If you want a more intense garlic flavour, you can mince up the cloves and leave it in there. This recipe also works well if your fructose free! The garlic infusion is enough and still tastes fantastic when you omit the onion.