Dirty Martini Pasta

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 6 to 8-ounce jar pitted Castelvetrano olives or green olives (in brine)

1 medium lemon

1 pound spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup gin or vodka

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Chop Olives

Drain olives and reserve 1/4 cup olive juice brine. Roughly chop olives; set aside. Zest and juice lemon; set aside.

Cook Pasta

Boil pasta in a large pot of very lightly salted water and cook al dente according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1 cup pasta water.

Make Sauce

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add olives and garlic; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in gin or vodka, and cook until reduced, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Toss Pasta

Stir in reserved olive juice, lemon juice, butter and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine until pasta is glossy and coated. Stir in Parmesan cheese. If needed, add additional pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time, to reach desired consistency.

Garnish and Serve

Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, blue cheese, and parsley. Garnish with additional blue cheese crumbles, if desired.

Nutrition

• Calories: 439 kcal
• Total Fat: 26 g
• Saturated Fat: 12 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 46 mg
• Sodium: 967 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 41 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 11 g