Why you’ll love this dirty martini pasta
If you love a dirty martini, you simply have to try this recipe. It’s a little salty, a little tangy, and a little bit indulgent, with Castelvetrano olives (the best kind of olives IMO) – a splash of vodka, and a tiny crumble of blue cheese at the end.
It’s so full of flavor and surprisingly quick to throw together, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner or a fancy date night at home.
More unique pasta recipes: harissa pasta / French onion pasta / frog eye salad / crawfish monica
Ingredient notes:
- Castelvetrano olives – These green olives are one of a kind, and even though they aren’t typically used in martinis, we love the way these taste in this recipe. If you can’t find then, regular green olives will work.
- Vodka – Liquor is key to making this martini pasta so you’ll want to use a decent quality vodka. You can also substitute gin (which is actually the classic dirty martini liquor).
- Vermouth – Dry vermouth is what’s typically used in martinis, and the herbal quality adds a great flavor to the recipe. If you don’t have this, a dry white wine would work great!
- Blue cheese – This is totally optional and can be swapped for other crumbly cheeses like gorgonzola or feta, but you can also substitute vegan blue cheese – Melissa likes Follow Your Heart for dairy free blue cheese crumbles.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Recipe tips & tricks:
- Use a good vodka: Nothing fancy, but something you’d drink. Otherwise, you’ll taste it.
- Don’t skip the brine: It’s the secret to that dirty martini flavor, so we really don’t recommend skipping it.
- Adjust the salt: The olives, brine, and cheese are already salty so we don’t need to add much to this dish, but each brand will vary, so taste before adding more.
More spaghetti recipes to try: Million dollar spaghetti / one pot taco spaghetti / spaghetti all’assassina / tuna spaghetti
Dirty Martini Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
- 1/3 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives (roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons dry vermouth
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 2 tablespoons olive brine
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Make the sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Then add the garlic, lemon zest, and chopped olives. Sauté until fragrant and the olives have softened a bit, about 2 minutes.
- Next, add the vermouth, vodka, olive brine and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, deglazing the pan if needed. Add butter and allow it to melt into the sauce.
- Toss it all together. Return the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat evenly, adding some of the reserved pasta water. Top with the chopped parsley and crumbled blue cheese. Stir to allow cheese to melt slightly into the sauce and serve immediately.
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