This red wine spaghetti is a classic: deeply flavorful garlic pasta with a big punch of robust red wine. Spaghetti ubriachi (as it's also known) is rich and creamy, slightly tart, and absolutely addictive.
On a recent trip to Montreal, one of our favorite things was the spaghetti ubriachi, or spaghetti in red wine. In Italian, ubriachi means drunk, so it's essentially drunk spaghetti or drunk noodles. It is a classic Italian dish made with red wine, garlic, olive oil, butter, spaghetti, and parmigiano. It's amazing!
What is spaghetti ubriachi?
Spaghetti Ubriachi, also known as Drunken Spaghetti, is spaghetti tossed in a bright burgundy butter sauce, seasoned with garlic and red pepper flakes, and finished with a generous amount of finely grated Parmesan cheese. It's rich, full of flavor and supremely satisfying.
What does spaghetti in red wine taste like?
Spaghetti in red wine is simple, yet rich, with a tangy touch of wine. Think of it like an aglio e olio but with a hint of acidity (like you taste in lemon paste) and the warm richness of a good red wine. The butter adds a delicious creamy note, the crushed red peppers add a hint of spice, and the cheese adds umami and saltiness.
Where are spaghetti ubriachi from?
Drunken spaghetti is a classic Tuscan dish from the Umbria region of Italy. When the pasta is cooked in wine, the noodles are stained a deep mahogany color and left with a deep, bold, slightly sweet and tart umami flavor.
What kind of wine for spaghetti ubriachi?
In Tuscany, they use local red wine, like something made from Sagrantino or Sangiovese grapes. In truth, any red wine you like to drink will work well for this dish, since you'll be boiling it down to nothing. It doesn't have to be expensive, and in fact, the first time we had this dish, I asked our server what kind of wine they used for the sauce and she kindly asked the kitchen. It turned out to be a GIANT case of wine that was the cheapest they could find.
How to make spaghetti with red wine
Making spaghetti in red wine is simple but spectacular. The deep-toned pasta fits into any dinner party or even as a special weeknight treat.
Our spaghetti with red wine
We deviated a bit from the classic version to make this umami even more appealing and delicious. Our secret ingredient is soy sauce! It adds just the right amount of salt and umami and gives it everything and a little more oomph. There is only a little bit, but it makes a world of difference by bringing out the salty umami of the Parmesan.
Ingredients for spaghetti in red wine
There are only 8 ingredients which makes this a super simple dinner, shopping wise it's basically a pantry meal!
- olive oil – If you want to be elegant, opt for two different types of olive oil, one that you use for cooking and one that you use to finish. An olive oil for cooking is more affordable than a high-end finishing oil. In this recipe you can use your standard cooking olive oil, we usually look for something like Filippio Berio or California Olive Ranch which are super wallet friendly and available at most grocery stores. You can also finish your pasta with it, but if you want a little extra luxury, choose an olive oil to finish. Finishing olive oils vary quite a bit in flavor, from pungent and bold to fruity and smooth, so it's best to choose one whose flavor you love.
- Garlic – 4 cloves of garlic add a mild garlicky sweetness and a base note. If you are a garlic lover, feel free to add more.
- Chili flakes – Just a little chili flakes to bring out the heat and warmth.
- Manteca – We are going to use this to emulsify the wine into a beautiful shiny sauce. Choose an unsalted grass-fed butter if you can, otherwise butter in the fridge works just fine.
- Spaghetti – This is pretty standard, you want to choose a dry spaghetti instead of a fresh pasta here because the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce and a dry spaghetti keeps better.
- Red wine – What we are looking for here is a pretty but not too pretty bottle, see notes above.
- Soy sauce – Just a little soy sauce to up the umami. We like to use Yamasa.
- Parmesan – This has to be the real stuff you gratify for yourself, nothing from the green bottle! Grab a nice piece of Parmigiano Reggiano, your taste buds will thank you.
What to serve with spaghetti in red wine
Serve this with a bright and invigorating kale salad and some sourdough focaccia or soft garlic rolls for the ultimate in Italian comfort food.
Hopefully a red wine night is in your future!
lol steph
Spaghetti in red wine
Spaghetti ubriachi is rich and creamy, slightly tart, and absolutely addictive.
Serves 2
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes
Total time 30 minutes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra to finish
- 6 cloves of garlic finely diluted
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more as desired
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 1.5 cups of red wine
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese finely grated
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Add the olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, and 1 tablespoon of butter to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft but not brown, about 3 minutes.
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Add the wine and increase the heat to medium high and simmer until it begins to reduce.
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While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta 3 minutes before it is al dente. Pull the spaghetti straight out of the cooking water using flip flops and drop into the reduced wine sauce.
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Add the remaining butter and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and pasta is shiny and well coated.
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Remove pasta from heat and add cheese, stirring to melt evenly. If needed, add pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time to help melt cheese evenly.
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Serve topped with freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to finish. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Spaghetti in red wine
Amount per proportion
Calories 872 calories from fat 370
%Daily value*
fat 41,1g63%
Saturated Fat 18.4g115%
Cholesterol 69 mg23%
Sodium 411 mg18%
Potassium 421 mg12%
carbohydrates 91,2g30%
Fiber 3.9gsixteen%
Sugar 3,8g4%
protein 19,4g39%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
