Wow, is this sauce a show stopper or what! You don’t even miss the dairy in this very flavorful vegan vodka sauce. It takes a little bit of labor, but won’t take too long (somewhere between 45 mins- and hour and 15 mins), and you will be so happy and proud that you took the time and effort to make this! Towards the end of the recipe you will find notes for soy, gluten and nut allergies. Enjoy!
Ingredients: (serves 4)
3/4 cup mixed white nuts (I used 1/2 cup cashews + 1/8 cup pine nuts + 1/8 cup blanched slivered almonds), soaked in hot water
1/2 cup diced onion
1 large glove garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegan butter (soy free if needed)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp plain vodka
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dry oregano
1/4 tsp dry parsley
1/8 tsp dry thyme
1/8 tsp sea salt
big pinch fresh black pepper
tsp balsamic glaze
tbsp nooch
tsp rice vinegar or lemon juice
pinch salt and pepper
1/2 cup cashew milk or water + extra 1/4 cup water
optional follow your heart vegan parmesan or Miyoko’s vegan Mozz
salt and pepper to taste
How-to:
- Soak nuts in hot water and prep rest of ingredients
- Add onion, garlic, butter, and cherry tomatoes to a medium pot over medium heat. Simmer for 4 minutes
- To the pot, add vodka, tomato sauce, and 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) water. Bring to a simmer again, then add basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and balsamic glaze. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring to that nothing burns. Most of the cherry tomatoes will pop during this time.
- While first half of sauce simmers, drain nuts and blend with nutritional yeast, vinegar or lemon juice, big pinch of salt and pepper, and just enough water or cashew milk (I used cashew milk) to cover the nuts in a blender cup. Blend until silky smooth, I find this easier in a blender cup than in a full sized blender.
- Back in the pot, use a handheld blender to blend the tomatoes until smooth. You could also just add your sauce to a stand blender, but you will have to let it cool a bit first. Using a handheld blender is the fastest method, but make sure you hold up a pot lid between the blender and yourself so that you don’t splatter tomatoes everywhere! Taste this mix to make sure vodka is cooked off, it should taste sweet but not like alcohol. If it still tastes of alcohol, let it simmer another 5 minutes on low and taste again.
- To the pot, add the cashew cream, 1/4 cup water, and 2 tbsp strong white vegan cheese, such as follow your heart parmesan or Miyoko’s kitchen mozzarella. The vegan cheese if optional but very tasty! Taste sauce once cheese is melted and cashew cream stirred in, and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over your favorite noodles, add your favorite veggies or vegan ground beef or chicken if desired. Serve with extra parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley, enjoy!
Allergy Notes:
- For soy allergies, just make sure you use soy free butter and soy free vegan cheese.
- For gluten allergies, make sure you use gluten free vodka and gluten free noodles.
- For cashew allergies, use oat milk or water where it calls for milk, skip the vegan cheese or find a cashew free cheese you like such as Violife, and replace the cashews with chick peas or northern beans. This will work best if you take the extra time to peel the chick peas, but you don’t need to soak them as long as they are cooked fully. Add a full tbsp of lemon juice instead of a tsp.
The Peaceful Plate 