Pasta is delicious and comforting, and it’s one of the things that was hardest for me to imagine doing without when I went gluten free.

It can be hard to find a good gluten free pasta brand, and you have to learn how to cook it just right. Overcook it, and it becomes gluey and yuck. But I have found brown rice pasta, and the Tinkiyada brand, to be the best. It also seems that the shape effects the cooking process, and I’ve found penne is often the easiest to cook right. Here’s an awesome recipe for you to try out!

Here’s what you’ll need to make a dinner for four people:

• 12 oz package of gluten free penne pasta (Tinkiyada is my favorite)
• 28 oz can of plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup vodka
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 small red chili, seeded and sliced
• 1 handful fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

To start, mince the garlic and dice the onion finely, then add to a pan with the olive oil and turn up the heat. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Then, to the pan with the oil and garlic, add the chili, the tomatoes and the vodka.

Simmer until the vodka boils off, this will take about 7-10 minutes. Now stir in the cream and cook until the sauce becomes thick. Then add in the Parmesan and the basil. Toss your cooked penne in the sauce to coat, and there you have it, a wonderful scrumptious vegetarian dish!

This is the kind of thing that gets even tastier on the second day, so consider making ahead of time, or making enough to have leftovers.

Enjoy!

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wikimedia Commons