Red Wine Spaghetti, a first course with a unique flavor, simple and quick to prepare with only two ingredients. I discovered this recipe out of the need to use up opened red wine, similar to drunken cake.
Red wine spaghetti is a special recipe with a slightly acidic taste enriched by the seasoning of garlic, oil, and chili pepper in which the pasta is tossed after cooking. The color of this dish can be very scenic, ranging from pinkish to intense red depending on the amount of wine you use in the cooking. You could cook directly in wine, but it’s always good to dilute it with water for a less acidic flavor; I recommend using double the amount of water compared to the wine used, making the acidity practically imperceptible.
The final result will win you over with a few ingredients, bringing to the table a unique first course that will amaze your guests. You can also have fun asking them to guess the ingredient; few will immediately realize that the pasta is cooked in red wine.
This dish has saved many impromptu dinners and evenings when the desire to cook was low, yet in a few minutes, I served a nutritious, cheerful, and appetizing dish.
For those who want quick ideas for first courses that are quick but with great taste, I also recommend
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 465.75 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31.06 (g) of which sugars 0.63 (g)
- Proteins 5.89 (g)
- Fat 24.23 (g) of which saturated 3.50 (g)of which unsaturated 0.44 (g)
- Fibers 1.90 (g)
- Sodium 1,392.48 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 6.35 oz spaghetti
- 1.27 cups red wine
- to taste coarse salt (for cooking pasta)
- 3 cups water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste parsley
- 1 pinch fine salt
- to taste chili pepper
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
Preparation
The preparation of this first course is really simple; the important thing is to blend the pasta well in the pan to make it well-seasoned with the aromas.
In a high-sided pot, bring the water, red wine, and coarse salt to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook for the minutes indicated on the package for al dente cooking.
While the pasta is cooking, put the extra virgin olive oil specified in the recipe, coarsely chopped garlic, chili pepper, and a pinch of salt into the non-stick pan. Sauté until the garlic is golden and then turn off the heat.
When the pasta is cooked, do not drain it with a colander but remove it from the stove. Reheat the pan with the sauté on the same burner, and when it starts to sizzle, add the spaghetti using a spaghetti ladle. Toss them on high heat using the water and wine from the cooking, which would usually be discarded if you used a colander. When everything is uniform and flavorful, turn off the heat, plate, and serve immediately.
NOTES
It’s best to consume red wine spaghetti as soon as they’re ready to avoid them drying out too much. If you’re not a fan of long pasta, you can follow the same recipe with short pasta cuts; I recommend using smooth pasta like paccheri for an ideal consistency of the finished dish.
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