Lentil rotini with creamy vodka sauce

Lentil Rotini with Creamy Vodka Sauce

9
Points®
Total Time
35 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Vodka sauce is always a favorite, though it’s far from healthy. We omitted all that heavy cream and tossed the lightened sauce with delicious and nutritious lentil pasta. This is a vegetarian recipe, but if you like, stir in some cooked chicken breast or shrimp.

Ingredients

Uncooked yellow lentil pasta

8¾ oz, rotini variety

Frozen green peas

½ cup(s)

Garlic-flavored olive oil

2 tsp

Uncooked onion

1 small, chopped (3/4 cup)

Vodka

¼ cup(s)

Tomato paste

1 Tbsp

Canned tomato sauce

15 oz

Table salt

¼ tsp

Crushed red pepper flakes

1 pinch(es)

Reduced fat cream cheese

¼ cup(s)

Pesto sauce

1 tsp

Grated Parmesan cheese

4 tsp

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, adding peas before last minute of cooking pasta.
  2. While pasta cooks, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes.
  3. Add vodka and tomato paste and stir until blended. Add tomato sauce, salt, and crushed red pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute. Stir in cream cheese and pesto until cream cheese is melted.
  4. Drain pasta and peas, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta and peas to pot. Stir in sauce and toss. Stir some cooking water into sauce for thinner consistency, if desired. Spoon pasta into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.
  5. Serving size: 1 cup pasta and 1 tsp cheese