Pumpkin Penne Alla Vodka

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes (4 cups)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder (or 4 minced cloves)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 cup pumpkin purée

½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese

¼ cup vodka*

½ cup grated Parmesan

1 (14-ounce) box penne (cooked and drained)

Optional garnish: additional Parmesan, chopped herbs, crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Add cherry tomatoes to a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Drizzle on oil and toss to coat. Mix in garlic and onion powders, salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes.

Push tomatoes to outer perimeter, creating a well in middle. Add pumpkin and ricotta cheese to center. Drizzle vodka evenly over the outer tomatoes.

Bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tomatoes are looking puckered and juicy.

Remove from oven and, using the back of a large spoon, smash all tomatoes, letting out juices and pulverizing skin into smaller pieces (the juice will be scorching hot, so be careful not to let it splatter on you). Mix everything together to create a rich, creamy sauce.

Mix in Parm. Start adding penne a little bit at a time until you have your perfect pasta-to-sauce ratio; stir to combine. Garnish with optional herbs, extra Parm and crushed red pepper flakes.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 380 kcal
• Total Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7.5 g
• Cholesterol: 15 mg
• Sodium: 340 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 56 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8 g
• Total Sugars: 8 g
• Protein: 17 g