Love to Cook With Wine? You Have to Try This Drunken Pasta

I eat pasta so often, it's rare that a new pasta concept will really pique my interest, but when I stumbled upon "drunk pasta" on TikTok, I was immediately intrigued. Pasta that cooks almost entirely in a bottle of wine? Sign me up. But don't worry — it doesn't taste quite like eating wine with a fork.

A steamy love affair between pasta and red wine sounded like one of the great Italian romances of our time. Throw a little Pecorino on top, and you have yourself a mealtime masterpiece. Let me tell you, this pretty purple pasta didn't disappoint in elegance or in flavor.

The most mind-blowing part of this dish was how the wine evaporated at the exact minute the pasta finished cooking. How convenient is that? Of course, the better wine you use, the better the dish will taste — but an $8 bottle will probably taste better sauteed with garlic and herbs than it would have tasted in your glass (just saying).

I've never seen pasta so richly ruby-colored, with a sheen that glistened on every twirl. Even after making it yourself, it's hard to believe this pasta isn't coated in any sauce at all. The spaghetti was tangy, light, and luxuriously silky. Just a light dusting of freshly grated cheese is enough to make this simple pasta, simply irresistible.

Some variations of Spaghetti all'Ubriaco (drunken spaghetti) call for a smaller amount of wine, which is probably a more traditional approach, but I thought the whole bottle sounded a little more adventurous. I also used red wine, which provided a beautifully distinct flavor and color, but this boiling process should work with any kind of wine.

Now, I'm not convinced all the wine is cooked off in the finished dish, so be careful serving this to visiting guests or young ones. However, I would recommend this dish as the perfect, easy meal to use up that leftover bottle you uncorked the other night.

How to Make Drunken Pasta (Spaghetti All'Ubriaco)

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 bottle red wine
• 1 pound spaghetti noodles
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for topping)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. In a separate large pot over low heat, sauté garlic in the olive oil until golden. Stir in salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Once fragrant, pour in the bottle of red wine and bring to a rapid boil.
3. In the pot of salted water, parboil the spaghetti for about 2 minutes, just until pliable. Drain and transfer to the pot of boiling wine, and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.
4. Stir in parmesan, butter, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with freshly grated Pecorino and chopped parsley.