Penne alla vodka with cottage cheese

High in protein and low in fat, cottage cheese is having a moment. This retro ingredient does the work of cream in this recipe, only with fewer calories

📝 Ingredients

• 170 g red lentil penne pasta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
• 80 g tomato purée
• 75 ml vodka
• 100 g cottage cheese
• 20 g grated vegetarian hard cheese, plus extra to serve
• small handful of fresh basil

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the penne according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving a large cup of the pasta water.
2. 2Heat the oil in a wide sauté pan over a low heat. Add the onion with a large pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute. Add the tomato purée, cooking for 2 minutes, then stir in the vodka. Simmer for a few minutes then remove from the heat.
3. 3Blitz the cottage cheese and a scoop of the tomato mixture with a splash of the pasta water in a blender until smooth and creamy. Stir it into the mixture in the saucepan with a splash more of the pasta water and place over a low heat. Tip in the pasta and cheese, tossing everything together until well coated and glossy. Loosen with a little more pasta water if too thick. Season to taste, then serve with extra cheese and the basil scattered over the top.