1 pound whole wheat penne
Salt for water
3 to 4 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
4 large cloves of garlic, diced
1 (2 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, & oregano
2 (15-oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 C vodka (any old kind will do, you don't need to break out the good stuff for this!)
1 tsp crushed red pepper (you can add more, but it will start getting very spicy! Oh, you could also use less, too.)
1/2 C pine nuts, processed in the food processor until very crumbly and paste-like
1/2 C nutritional yeast flakes
1 C plain soy creamer (I use plain Silk soy creamer)
1 TB cornstarch
2 TB vegan cream cheese substitute (I use Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese), optional (but recommended!)
1/2 to 2/3 C chopped fresh parsley (flat-leaf, not curly!)


Start the water for your pasta in a large pot of salted water.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, and saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, basil, marjoram, and oregano. Bring to a boil, stir well, and then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, mix pulverized pine nuts and nutritional yeast together in a small bowl, until well-incorporated.

In a separate small bowl, mix creamer, cornstarch, and cream cheese substitute, breaking up the cream cheese with a fork until small pieces remain. Set aside.

When 20 minutes have passed, add vodka and red pepper flakes to tomato mixture. (At this point you should also be adding your pasta to the boiling water so that your pasta and sauce will be done at the same time.) Simmer sauce another 5 to 8 minutes on medium low.

Turn heat to low. Add pine nut mixture and creamer mixture. Mix well, and simmer another 2 to 5 minutes, until thickened.

Add parsley, and stir. Taste for seasonings, and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve over penne.