Dirty Martini Pasta Is the Popular Recipe You Never Knew You Needed

When I first saw that a recipe for dirty martini pasta was trending on social media, my immediate thought was: Why didn’t someone think of this before? After all, people love dirty martinis and they love pasta. I count myself in both categories.

Just like everything bagel seasoning or bourbon-flavored stuff, “dirty martini” has become a super popular flavor descriptor for food beyond cocktails. We’ve seen the rise of dirty martini salads and dirty martini deviled eggs, for instance. So dirty martini pasta just makes sense.

“This is like, if you took a dirty martini and made it into a pasta,” says TikTok creator @legallyhealthyblonde, who created the recipe.”I know I’m not the only one obsessed with dirty martinis and obsessed with pasta, and so I am trusting this going to find the right people.”

@legallyhealthyblondedirty martini pasta recipe below: **measurements are approx. measure with ur heart!** * 1 clove garlic, minced * 1-2 tbsp olive oil * 5-7 pitted Castelvetrano olives, smashed and chopped lightly * pasta of choice * lemon zest * 1-2 tbsp olive brine * 2 tbsp Gin or Vodka * 1 tbsp butter * salt, pepper * Fresh parsley * crumbled blue cheese (optional) instructions: – add olive oil to a pot over med heat. add garlic and stir. – add lemon zest and olive and sauté until fragrant and garlic is lightly toasted – add gin to hot pot and stir until it is almost evaporated. – add olive brine. – Add butter and stir continuously to emulsify butter until fully melted. – add cooked pasta and combine. season with salt and pepper to taste – serve hot and garnish with olives, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and blue cheese crumbles.♬ This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole

What Is Dirty Martini Pasta and Is It Good?

Dirty martini pasta, while it uses the elements of a dirty martini cocktail—and has a catchy name—has its basis in fairly traditional pasta recipes. I don’t think an Italian grandma would get too angry with this American take. Olive, lemon, garlic, parsley, oil and butter are all classic pasta ingredients. Crumbled blue cheese may be a bit of a twist, but this is a solid recipe and the result is delicious.

How to Make Dirty Martini Pasta

I’ve expanded the original TikTok recipe here to serve four people. I’ve also turned up the volume on the flavors a bit with more butter, garlic and lemon than the original. For olives, green varieties like Castelvetro or Manzanilla work best. Be sure to save the olive brine for cooking. Topping with crumbled blue cheese brings great flavor to this recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti, linguini or other long pasta
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
20-24 olives, chopped (10-ounce container)
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons gin
3 tablespoons olive brine
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Parsley, freshly chopped

Directions

Overhead Dirty Martini Pasta Jason Wilson Toh

Step 1: Prepare the pasta

Boil the pasta in salted water according to the directions on the package. When finished, drain and toss with a tablespoon of butter.

Step 2: Start the sauce with sauté

Heat the oil in a saucepan, on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped olives and lemon zest. Cook until garlic turns golden.

Step 3: Add the liquids

To the saucepan, add gin to deglaze, stirring until it evaporates. Then add the olive brine, lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of butter, stirring until combined.

Step 4: Add pasta, garnish and serve

Combine cooked pasta in a saucepan, salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Top with more chopped olives, parsley, lemon zest and blue cheese (if you desire).

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