One-Pot White Wine Pasta

By Ali Slagle

Updated February 24, 2026

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Ready In
25 min
Rating
4(214)
Comments
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While this pasta is reminiscent of scampi, piccata and vongole, it delivers something more — a hard-to-pin-down complexity that comes from cooking the pasta not in water but in wine. Really! The pasta soaks up the wine’s layered flavors and piercing brightness, while the sharp alcohol evaporates away. Butter and anchovies round out the pasta to create a silky, savory sauce. Serve with seared chicken, shrimp or scallops, roasted mushrooms or a crunchy fennel or arugula salad.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 8 anchovy fillets

  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more as needed

  • 12 ounces long noodles, like spaghetti 

  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

  • Salt

  • ½ cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 4 servings)

68 grams carbs; 37 milligrams cholesterol; 588 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 699 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven, melt the butter and anchovies over medium-high, smashing the anchovies until dissolved. When the butter is foaming, stir in the crushed red pepper. Add the pasta, white wine and 2 cups of water. Season with a big pinch of salt. Once boiling, cook, tossing often with tongs, until the spaghetti is tender, 8 to 12 minutes. If the pasta is looking dry, add ¼ cup more water. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits, so better for it to be soupy than dry. 

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and crushed red pepper.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
214 user ratings
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Comments

WTR

it's been asked before, but why do these pasta recipes seem to always call for 12 oz?

Trish

@Peter W. Maybe I’m just a philistine, but I often make beef stew with old open bottles of red wine I wouldn’t drink, and it turns out great!

Peter W.

Don’t use the best wine in your cellar but there’s a rule: “If you wouldn’t drink it, DO NOT cook with it.”

Neil

Since the pandemic began in 2020, I've been faithfully cooking the recipes from "What to Make Next Week" from the Saturday Times. This was the worst of 6 years of cooking those recipes. Not sure how to fix it. Sorry

Diane B

It may be anathema to some, but I added a handful of minced garlic and a good amount of finely minced kale to the pan with the red pepper flakes with the foaming butter. So good, even greater depth of flavor — and some healthy veg to boot!

Nic

I must have made it wrong because the wine and anchovies taste was too strong. It mellowed out after an overnight in the fridge, so leftovers were okay. My 16yr old banned the recipe family dinner rotation. If I try again, I'd use less wine and substitute miso for the anchovies.

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