Spaghetti All’Ubriaco (Drunken Spaghetti)

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This pasta recipe is perfect for wine lovers and makes a beautifully festive dish for Valentine’s Day. The noodles take on a vibrant ruby red hue after being boiled in a bottle of red wine. But don’t worry, you will not get drunk from this spaghetti. The alcohol boils off in the process but leaves behind a wonderful flavour.

I’m not sure where we first discovered Spaghetti All’Ubriaco which translates to Drunken Spaghetti. I think it might have been my brother-in-law who made it for us once and we have been making it ever since.

It is a traditional Tuscan dish that would serve as an interesting offering for the Primi Course at your next Italian dinner party or as a big bowl of delicious comfort food.

Spaghetti All’Ubriaco is easier to make than it is to say. All you need is two bottles of decent dry red wine (one for the dish and the other for drinking), some good quality spaghetti noodles and a couple of staple pantry ingredients and you have a delectable pasta dish served up in under a half an hour. And you don’t need to use an expensive bottle of red wine for this dish. We use a Chianti or Sangiovese both of which you can find for under $15.

What You’ll Need

• Large Pasta Pot
• Large Skillet with High Sides
• Pasta Tongs
• Pasta Bowls
• Parmesan Cheese Grater

Spaghetti All’Ubriaco (Drunken Spaghetti)

Ingredients

• 1 package (450 g.) spaghetti noodles
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp. dried peperoncino or crushed red peppers
• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine (like a Chianti or Sangiovese)
• 1/2 beef bouillon cube or 1/2 tsp. beef base
• 2 tsp. finely chopped oregano
• 2 tsp. finely chopped parsley
• Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Heat olive oil, garlic, salt and peppers in a large skillet with high sides. Stir occasionally and cook until garlic becomes fragrant and starts to brown slightly. Add the red wine (be careful it can splash) and bring the red wine to a boil.
3. Generously salt the boiling water in the pasta pot and then add the package of spaghetti and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Use pasta tongs to transfer the spaghetti from the water to the pot with the boiling red wine. Add the bouillon and 1 tsp. oregano to the pot and cook until the noodles are tender, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Transfer to pasta bowls using pasta tongs and top with the remaining oregano, parsley, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
6. Serve immediately with the second bottle of delicious Italian red wine.