Vegan Vodka Sauce
A vegan Vodka Sauce that’s thrown together in less than 30 minutes. Cook it out in a pan, then toss in a blender for a delicious, easy pasta sauce that’s so much better than store-bought. Tomatoes, Vodka, Onion, Garlic. You won’t regret making it - promise.
Skip to any part of the recipe by clicking the links below:
Introduction
Ever heard the old saying that homemade is always better and cheaper than buying from a restaurant? It holds true - sometimes. Sometimes you wind up paying $45 for a homemade Pad Thai that comes out worse than the $10 one down the road. But sometimes, you wind up with food so delicious and east, you wonder why you hadn’t tried making it by yourself before.
And that’s vodka sauce. The feather on the double pan balance that pushes homemade food swiftly downwards, heavy with quality, while pre-made food shoots upwards into mediocrity. The culinary embodiment of Gestaltism - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Simple, good ingredients that combine together to form something delicious. Tomatoes, garlic, onions, vodka, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, and dairy-free milk.
So save your money and eat well. There’s a reason the pasta in an Italian household is so good. Everyone has had the experience of eating someone else’s lasagna or pasta, and thinking “Jesus, how is this so good?” And I’ll tell you how - it’s because they’re making the sauce themselves, just like their parents did, and their parents before them. Practices wouldn’t pass from generation to generation if it weren’t for people thinking to themselves “Jesus, how is this so good?”
Whether you haven’t made it before because you simply didn’t know how - just like me; or because it’s just easier to buy the stuff from the store, try this recipe once, and I promise you’ll never buy from the store again.
The secret to this recipe is to salt in stages. Add your onion and garlic - salt. Add your tomatoes and tomato paste - salt. Blend, taste, and add salt as needed. The reason Italian restaurant pasta tastes great is because they taste, taste, taste. Don’t make it more difficult for yourself than you need to. Slice the onions and garlic instead of dicing them. They don’t need to be tiny because they’re getting blended anyway!
Check out the Spruce it Up section for ideas on how to take this recipe to the next level.
Before we Get Started
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Yield: ~1.5 Jars
Ingredients
1 Onion
2-3 cloves of Garlic
1.5 tbsp Tomato Paste
28 oz. can of Whole Tomatoes
1/2 tbsp Sugar
1/3 cup of Vodka
1 tsp. Red Chili Flakes
1.5 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Dairy-Free Milk
I used Unsweetened Almond Milk
Method
Preheat a deep pan over medium heat, with oil.
Slice your onion and garlic, and add them to the pan with a good pinch of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they’re soft and translucent.
Add your tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and chili flakes, and stir for 30 seconds, coating the onions and garlic. Add another pinch of salt.
Then, add your 1/3 cup of vodka, as well as your whole tomatoes and sugar, and give them a good mix. Turn up the heat to high, then reduce to a simmer.
The reason we turn up the heat to high only to turn it back down is because it’s much faster to achieve a simmer by hitting a boil on high heat and then turning it down than it is to hit a simmer over low heat.
Once it’s hit a simmer, cover the pan 90% of the way, leaving a small gap for some steam to escape. Let it simmer for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes has elapsed, add your sauce to a blender, and blend until smooth. Add it back into the pan, along with your dairy-free milk. Stir to incorporate.
Add more milk if you want a lighter, creamier sauce.
Give it a taste, and add more salt if needed, as well as some black pepper.
Enjoy.
Spruce it Up
Adding basil to the sauce gives it a great fresh note. It can be added before or after the sauce goes in the blender.
Nutritional yeast is a great, plant-based alternative to Parmesan cheese.
The better your ingredients, the better the sauce will taste. Try going to a farmer’s market to find your ingredients locally-grown and unprocessed, and support local businesses.