After having burgers last night, I definitely wanted a meat free dinner tonight.  I decided on spaghetti in a sauce made up of olive oil, butter, white wine, shallots, garlic, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.  The spaghetti was served with garlic bread and that was it.  I was in the mood for earthy and simple.  I loved it, my husband loved it too.  I’ll definitely make this one again in the near future.

Spaghetti in Wine and Butter Sauce, with Fresh Herbs

• 1 pound Spaghetti Noodles
• 1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 3/4 cup White Wine
• 2/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Shallots
• 4 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 cup Italian Parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Chives, chopped
• Pinch of Crushed  Red Pepper Flakes

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Once the water comes to a boil, add one and a half tablespoons of kosher salt to the pot and let the water come back to a boil.  Once this happens, add your noodles and cook according to the package instructions.

In a saute pan, add the olive oil and butter and melt together.  Once the olive oil and butter melted, add the shallot and garlic and cook until softened.  Add a few dashes of crushed red pepper and then add the wine.  When your noodles are done, add them to the sauce, reserving one cup of the pasta water.  Before mixing the pasta with the sauce, add 2/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese.  Mix together with the pasta and sauce.  If your pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water, a half cup at a time.  You may only need a half cup.  You can always add more, but can’t take it out! Once your pasta is mixed with the sauce, remove from heat and add your fresh herbs.  Put in a serving bowl and sprinkle with a bit more crushed red pepper.

Until next time, Kris