It’s a showstopper. Two bottles of red wine get cooked down to a glossy mahogany butter sauce that stains the spaghetti in addition to flavoring it. Use a very dry red wine that you enjoy drinking, such as a Sangiovese-based wine like Chianti, or Merlot, otherwise the dish will be too sweet. If this is sounding like “eating red wine” to you, don’t worry, it tastes like wine in the way beef bourguignon does, and is acidic yet creamy like our beloved pasta al limone. This recipe is from Montreal’s cozy-cool coffee-pizza-wine restaurant Elena.
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
12
3
1
16
2
2
Preparation
Step 1
Combine garlic and 3 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Heat a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium; pour in garlic and oil. Add red pepper flakes and 2 Tbsp. butter; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is very fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add wine, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until reduced by two-thirds, 20–25 minutes; season with salt. Cover and keep warm.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 3 minutes shy of recommended cook time.
Step 3
Drain pasta and add to sauce, along with remaining 14 Tbsp. butter. Set pot over medium heat and bring sauce to a simmer. Cook, tossing often, until pasta is well coated and sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 4
Divide pasta among bowls; drizzle with oil and top with lots of Parmesan.
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Reviews (58)
Back to TopI think this is generally a good recipe if you’re trying to make a red wine spaghetti, but by the time you’re done, it’s quite rich, but lacking some final salt and something to make it pop. I highly recommend skipping the final step of drizzling with olive oil, but instead topping with a good amount of Parmesan, and some toasted pinenuts. This adds some salt some depth of flavor and texture difference, which is my initial complaint with the recipe if you’re just making it as is.
Mike
Minneapolis, Mn
1/19/2024
Don't do it! Personally, I don't think that it was worth the effort, and, more importantly, the wine. Sure, the spaghetti was stained red and tasted of wine, but the end product feels showy and gimmicky for a result that tastes exceedingly average in both depth and flavor. If you insist on moving forward with making this, do yourself a favor and reduce the butter by 1/2 otherwise you will be left with an excessively buttery, greasy bowl of pasta. Someone told me that traditionally red wine pasta is made with anchovies to add a bit of umami. You could probably throw some in or use anchovy paste - it could only help...
Andrew P.
North Conway, New Hampshire
11/21/2021
Amazingly easy and delicious! We prefer penne pasta, (less messy) and add cooked prosciutto or ham and black olives. Magically delicious every time! 😋
Lisa Graziano
Porto, Portugal
10/3/2021
This was OK, kind of more interesting to make than it was to eat. Made a half recipe and used a $10 montepulciano. The color was beautiful, but I didn't get a ton of wine flavor in the pasta--more like just pasta with butter and cheese. I think I'd use half as much butter next time in order to let the wine flavor stand out more. One commenter suggested using a blue cheese with this, and I also think either that or a tangy goat cheese would be a better complement than the parmesan. Overall, I think the recipe is a good jumping-off point.
JJ
San Francisco, CA
7/18/2021
IT GAVE ME DIARHEA
Anonymous
Boston, MA
1/26/2021
This recipe was delicious! Super easy to assemble and definitely feels upscale. There’s two of us so we quartered the recipe and each had a glass of wine with dinner
Charlie
Columbus, Ohio
12/2/2020
I made a similar risotto recipe years ago. If you re sensitive to tannins, this is like mainlining wine tannins. Decide for yourself.
Anonymous
Chicago
11/30/2020