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Cheesy Tomato Pasta With Gin

We are currently in the middle of a major redesign of the bathroom. And now the old bath and the shower are out it is a race to get the new stuff back in and useable which means Paul is working flat out into the evenings. Add to this a visit from my mother and the afternoon disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving me with very little time to sort out our evening meal. What could I do that was quick, easy and filling. Pasta is always a good start so pasta it would be. I remembered an article I had read recently about a gin pasta sauce so I thought I’d have a go, with a couple of adaptations. Since we have a glut of late tomatoes I used those rather than tinned chopped tomatoes, used full fat soft cheese and reduced the amount of chilli flakes. As a pasta sauce it tasted like my usual tomato based sauce and I wasn’t overly impressed. For me, the addition of the gin did nothing to enhance the flavour; it seemed a waste of a quarter of a bottle of gin for very little reward. Anyway, here is the recipe plus a link to the original recipe for those of you who might like to try it. 

  • 500g penne pasta
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • ¼ tsp. dried red chilli
  • 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes or 40g chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 230ml gin
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 100ml single cream
  • 200g soft cheese
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions
  • Add olive oil to a pan and sauté the onions, garlic, and red chilli flakes on medium heat until the onions are soft but not browned.
  • Add in the chopped fresh tomatoes and simmer for a further five minutes.
  • Remove from heat and use a stick blender to mix the sauce until it is smooth. (you can use a blender if you prefer a smoother sauce)
  • Add the gin and a pinch of sugar to the sauce. 
  • Return to the heat and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer until the alcohol cooks off from the gin, about 20 minutes.
  • Add the soft cheese, cream and Parmesan cheese. 
  • Season to taste
  • Mix with the drained pasta.
  • Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve.
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