🍝 Italian Drunken Noodles (serves 3–4)
Ingredients
Pasta
12 oz pappardelle, fettuccine, or linguine
Salt (for pasta water)
Protein & Veg
1 lb Italian sausage (mild or spicy), casings removed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Optional: mushrooms or zucchini
Sauce
½ cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc work great)
1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional heat)
Salt & black pepper to taste
Finish
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan
Optional: a splash of pasta water to loosen sauce
How to Make It
Boil the pasta
Cook pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
Brown the sausage
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, breaking it up. Remove and set aside.
Sauté veggies
In the same pan, add onion and peppers. Cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds (don’t burn it!).
Deglaze with wine (the “drunken” part 🍷)
Pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits. Let it simmer 2–3 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Build the sauce
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir in sausage. Simmer 8–10 minutes.
Toss with pasta
Add pasta directly to the sauce. Splash in pasta water if needed to get it silky.
Finish & serve
Turn off heat, fold in fresh basil, and shower with Parmesan. Serve hot and happy.
🔥 Easy Upgrades (family-secret energy)
Creamy version: Add ¼ cup heavy cream at the end
Extra garlicky: Double the garlic (no regrets)
Spicy: Use hot Italian sausage + extra chili flakes
Herby: Add fresh oregano or thyme at the end
Cheesy: Finish with burrata on top for dramatic effect
If you want, tell me what your family’s version is like (spicy? creamy? more wine?) and I’ll tweak this to match your exact nostalgic flavor.
