My Dirty Martini Pasta recipe went (semi) viral on TikTok, and it is an olive-lover's DREAM! It is briny, salty, tangy, and perfectly satisfying. Made with real gin, a sprinkle of blue cheese, green olives and more!
One of my favorite cocktails as of lately has been a dirty gin martini. So, I figured why not mix the ingredients for a dirty martini in pasta form! Surely, it must work, and it did! I posted the recipe on TikTok and Instagram and my followers agreed: Dirty Martini Pasta is a HIT!
Using Castelvetrano olives, dry gin, olive oil, lemon zest, a bit of butter, and some crumbled blue cheese, this dish is delicious AND easy! Perfect for dinner tonight, a Saturday night pasta, and ideal for the modern-day food lover.
Table of Contents:
🎥 Watch the video of this recipe
🍸 Why you'll love this Dirty Martini Pasta
- Perfect for a Dinner Party!
- Easy, Make in 30 mins or Less!
- It is so fun to eat!
🫒 What you need for this recipe:
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Garlic - Use a fresh clove of garlic, minced or sliced thinly!
- Olive Oil - I highly recommend using a good quality olive oil, as the flavor will make a big difference.
- Castelvetrano Olives - These are the BEST olives. I do not recommend substituting these. Opt for pitted, if possible, and keep the actual olive brine/olive juice! If necessary, manzanilla olives can work, too.
- Pasta - I recommend using a long type of pasta shape, such as angel hair, spaghetti, or linguine noodles. Using fresh pasta is great as well!
- Lemon Zest - I like to use lemon zest strips, but regular grated zest is fine too!
- Gin or Vodka - Up to you! I find that Gin adds a bit more flavor, but either is fine, and omitting is fine too.
- Butter - Use cold, cubed, salted butter.
- Salt & Pepper - To taste! Use kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Blue Cheese - Crumbled creamy blue cheese just goes on at the end. I don't recommend omitting as it adds a great tang! However, a goat cheese is fine too, and omitting is fine if you are vegan.
- Fresh Parsley - For garnish! Use flat-leaf parsley and rough chop. Chives are great here, too.
Tools and Equipment:
- Medium Pot
- Medium Pan
- Sharp Knife & Cutting Board
- Zester Channel Knife (optional)
📋 How to make Dirty Martini Pasta:
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Finely mince or thinly slice 1-2 cloves of garlic.
Lightly mash or rough chop the green olives. Zest Lemons.
Cook pasta to al dente in boiling water that is heavily salted, according to package instructions and set aside. Save about ¼ cup of pasta water.
Step 2: Begin the Dirty Martini Pasta Sauce
Add olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir.
Add lemon zest and crushed olives and sauté until fragrant and garlic is lightly toasted, but not burnt or crispy.
Carefully add gin to the hot pan and stir until it is almost evaporated.
Whisk in the olive brine until combined.
Gradually add butter and stir continuously to emulsify butter until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
Add the cooked pasta and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If the sauce or pasta seems dry, add a bit of the starch-infused pasta water and stir to combine.
Serve hot and garnish with olives, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and blue cheese crumbles.
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- Use cold, cubed, salted butter. Cold butter emulsifies into the sauce more effectively, creating a creamy and glossy finish.
- Be sure to hang on to the pasta water. If necessary at the end, the salted water can help fix any sauce issues.
- Taste along the way! Many of these ingredients are very salty, so be sure to taste and adjust as needed!
Storage & Reheating Tips:
- Store in the Fridge: Wait until the pasta comes to room temperature and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Store in the Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to about 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Always inspect leftovers for impurities or mold by using your eyes and nose. Reheat by adding to a nonstick pan with a dash of olive oil over medium heat until heated through. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Recipe FAQs
Dirty Martini Pasta is a dish that was inspired by the flavors of a dirty martini! It is salty, briny, and has some blue cheese and chopped olives as well.
This dirty martini pasta can definitely be done without alcohol! Just omit entirely or use a splash of broth in place of the gin or vodka.
If you don't want blue cheese, you can omit it entirely or you could use another cheese like goat cheese!
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Dirty Martini Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Medium pan
- Sharp Knife & Cutting Board
- Zester Channel Knife (optional)
Ingredients
- 4-6 oz Pasta long pasta like angel hair or linguine.
- 1-2 cloves Garlic minced or sliced
- 5-7 Pitted Castelvetrano olives smashed and lightly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest zested into strips is preferred
- 1-2 tablespoon Olive brine
- 2 tablespoon Gin or Vodka
- 1 tablespoon Butter cold
- Kosher Salt to taste
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Flat leaf parlsley chopped or torn
- 1-2 tablespoon Blue Cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Finely mince or thinly slice 1-2 cloves of garlic.
- Lightly mash or rough chop the green olives. Zest Lemons.
- Cook pasta to al dente in boiling water that is heavily salted, according to package instructions and set aside. Save about ¼ cup of pasta water.
- Add olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir.
- Add lemon zest and crushed olives and sauté until fragrant and garlic is lightly toasted, but not burnt or crispy.
- Carefully add gin to the hot pan and stir until it is almost evaporated.
- Whisk in the olive brine until combined.
- Gradually add butter and stir continuously to emulsify butter until fully incorporated.
- Add the cooked pasta and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If the sauce or pasta seems dry, add a bit of the starch-infused pasta water and stir to combine.
- Serve hot and garnish with olives, lemon zest, fresh parsley, and blue cheese crumbles.
Video
Notes
- Use cold, cubed, salted butter. Cold butter emulsifies into the sauce more effectively, creating a creamy and glossy finish.
- Be sure to hang on to the pasta water. If necessary at the end, the salted water can help fix any sauce issues.
- Taste along the way! Many of these ingredients are very salty, so be sure to taste and adjust as needed!
Abby says
Delish!!
Molly says
😍😋
Elise says
Yum!
Mar says
So so good, and so easy to make!
Rayna says
My fav
Cyndi Montoya says
Chef's kiss!!
Anonymous says
obsessed
Delaney says
So easy and soooo yummy
Mary says
10/10!! Made this with my fiancé because we wanted to try something fancier than spaghetti and marinara. It was perfect for the two of us. We love blue cheese and salty flavors so we will definitely be making again!
Isabella V says
So yummy
Ann says
This is so delicious and easy - perfect summer meal
Much says
Outstanding!!!
Laura K Eggers says
This was so good! Easy to make and delicious to eat! Thanks Emily!!
Bianna says
Sooo goood!!
Bianna says
Sooooooo goooood!
Erin says
Delish
Hannah says
Five stars!
Ashley says
Honestly the BEST light pasta recipe I’ve had in a while!
Pepper says
So yummy!
Anonymous says
X
Abhidnya Gandharkar says
Yum!
Lilly says
Absolutely delicious!! I’m not usually a blue cheese person but the garnish on this is perfect!
Anonymous says
So good!
Ash says
So yummy! I love olives!
Anonymous says
so good
Courtney Paige says
incredible recipe and flavors!