Happy Galentine’s Day! Make Gluten-Free Fusilli alla Vodka

Today on Prep School, Megan Mitchell is cooking a gluten-free pasta dish that’s primed for sharing with all your best girlfriends. Every bite is rich (thanks to cream), a tiny bit boozy (thanks to vodka) and 100% gluten-free. On the side, lemony broccolini makes a perky addition to your plate—don’t forget the clean wine!

Gluten-Free Spicy Fusilli alla Vodka

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Active time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Sea salt
1 (16-ounce) box Thrive Market Organic Brown Rice Fusilli
1 to 2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 (4.5-ounce) tube tomato paste
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Crushed Red Pepper
3 tablespoons vodka
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup pasta cooking liquid
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
¼ cup chiffonade basil
Thrive Market Organic Ground Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season liberally with salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions, or until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Warm olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. When warm, add tomato paste and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until caramelized. Add chili flakes and vodka. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until most of the vodka has evaporated. Reduce heat to low and add the heavy cream; whisk.

Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of cooking liquid. Off heat, add pasta directly to the saucepan along with reserved cooking liquid; toss to coat. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Stir in ½ cup Parmesan cheese and basil. To serve, spoon pasta into a shallow bowl and top with more Parmesan cheese.

Lemon Broccolini

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Ghee
¼ cup water
2 bunches broccolini, woody ends trimmed
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Thrive Market Organic Ground Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Melt ghee in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccolini and water; cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 2 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to high; toss broccolini with tongs. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and broccolini is bright green and tender. Off heat, add lemon zest and juice, plus a large pinch each of salt and pepper; toss.

Recipes by Megan Mitchell