The spaghetti starts in salted water for half its cooking time, then moves to a skillet where a cup of red wine and a little tomato paste are waiting. It finishes there, absorbing the wine rather than cooking past it, which is why longer-cooking pasta shapes work better than quick-cooking ones; spending more time in the wine means more color and more flavor in every strand. The alcohol cooks off completely; what remains is the character of the wine itself, which is exactly why a good one matters here.
The pepper confetti is the detail that keeps this from being too intense; small pieces of red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, cooked separately and tossed back in at the end, adding sweetness, color, and a crunch that cuts through the richness of the wine-dark spaghetti. Two portions, one skillet for the finish, and a pasta that looks as good on the plate as it tastes.
Also called red wine spaghetti, spaghetti ubriachi, spaghetti all’ubriaco or pasta alla chiantigiana (when you’re using chianti to color the pasta).
Key ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
- Red bell pepper
- Yellow bell pepper
- Orange bell pepper
- Garlic
- Spaghetti
- Red wine
- Tomato paste
- Butter
- Parsley
The color of the pasta was fabulous, and I saw many recipes that did not succeed in coloring their pasta the same way. I thought about keeping it one color, but then settle for contrasting colors. I guess I was more in the mood for a little spark than subdued colors. This Drunken Spaghetti with Pepper Confetti is actually a rather easy recipe to make.
The flavor if this dish is full, rich, which brings me back at the beginning; adding the right wine and you will have great flavored pasta. If you add ‘el cheapo’ wine, the pasta will taste ‘el cheapo’ too. I don’t mind saving money, being frugal, but refuse to buy cheap when it comes down to food. I don’t eat to fill my stomach, I eat to enjoy.
Drunken Spaghetti with Pepper Confetti
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
- 1/4 red bell pepper
- 1/4 yellow bell pepper
- 1/4 orange bell pepper
- 1/2 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 4 ounces spaghetti
- 1 cup Zinfandel
- 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 4 sprigs Italian parsley
- Parmigiano Reggiano, optional
Instructions
- Mince the garlic. Cut the bell peppers in small piece. Chop the parsley.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for half its required cooking time. Stir occasionally to make sure that it does not stick.
- Drain the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water.
- Heat the oil in a skillet, add the garlic and allow it to bake just a little until fragrant. Add the small pieces of the bell peppers and bake it for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove garlic and bell peppers and add the red wine and the tomato paste to the skillet.
- Increase the heat to simmer and add the spaghetti. Finish the cooking time on the spaghetti according the packaging, until al-dente. If you don’t have enough wine, add some of the reserved pasta water. Stir occasionally to make sure all the pasta is submerged in the wine.
- Add salt and the butter and allow the wine to thicken just a little.
- Add the garlic and bell pepper into the skillet, tossing to combine.
- Serve the pasta on plates and sprinkle with the parsley.
- If you like add some grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.