Red wine pasta, also known as “drunken” pasta is the perfect meal for a night in with your loved one (which we’ll be having a lot of during this quarantine period). This pasta uses a delicious reduced red wine-shallot sauce and it’s topped with pancetta and cheese! Plus, it only takes 30 minutes to make it and it yields four to six servings! Serve it with some garlic bread and a green salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 1 (750 ml) bottle red wine
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions:
- Heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally until it’s crisp and lightly browned, for about 6 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon transfer pancetta to a paper towel to drain.
- Add shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pan and season it with salt.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it’s soft and translucent, for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the red wine and increase it to medium-high heat and bring it to a boil for 2 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for 4 minutes.
- Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
- Add pasta to the pot with red wine, cooking and stirring until the pasta is bright red and al dente. Most of the wine should be absorbed, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese and pancetta.
- Add the pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Serve with more cheese, parsley, and red pepper flakes.
