Happy Monday, friends! Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Over the weekend, we had our weekly family dinner. I try to plan what I want to make during the week since I have the time on Sunday’s to cook something a bit more challenging, or something that I typically don’t have time to make during the week. Sometimes, a meal idea comes to me, but sometimes, I struggle to come up with an idea.
Luckily, last week, I had the idea that I wanted to try and make vodka sauce from scratch. I always buy the Rao’s vodka sauce jarred brand as we like the quick version of it. But, I have never made it from scratch. So I decided to do it!
I think I was surprised and how easy it was to make the sauce. I was also surprised at how much cream there actually was in it!! It’s way more cream than tomato paste, so make sure you use heavy cream (don’t substitute here) and a good quality tomato paste. Other than that, it really does come together quickly.
I love a good Italian meal with some lightly fried chicken cutlets, salad and garlic bread, but you really can serve this pasta with anything. Sometimes, I choose to alter recipes and make them a bit more my own, but for this penne alla vodka Salt and Lavender recipe (linked below), it was just perfect as is!
If you have any ideas for me for things to make for this coming Sunday dinner, let me know in the comments below! Happy cooking! 🙂
Penne Alla Vodka with Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
Penne Pasta:
- 8 ounces (1/2 box) uncooked penne pasta
Breaded Chicken Cutlets:
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1 lb. chicken cutlets
- 1/2 avocado oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Vodka Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 small onion, chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- Salt & pepper, to taste
To serve:
- Fresh basil, sliced thin (optional), to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional), to taste
Directions
- Boil a generously salted pot of water for the penne and cook it al dente (according to package directions).
- While pasta is cooking, make the chicken cutlets – dredge chicken cutlets in flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture and fry in avocado oil. Cook each side of chicken for 4-5 minutes, or until chicken has browned and juices run clear. Set aside.
- To make the vodka sauce, add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the vodka and let the sauce bubble for 30 seconds or so.
- Stir in the tomato paste until you’ve got a smooth mixture.
- Stir in the cream, and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the sauce warm through.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed.
- Toss with the sauce with the drained pasta.
- Serve the Penne Alla Vodka alongside the Breaded Chicken Cutlets and top with basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Season Generously 