Pasta Chiantigiana will transport you to one of my favorite restaurants in Florence, and it comes together in 25 minutes!
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Jump to RecipePasta Chiantigiana will take you straight to Tuscany! It gets at the heart of Italian cooking, which is great ingredients prepared simply. Red wine, cheese, and red onions create a cravable dish that’ll leave you wanting more.
This recipe is based on a dish at one of my favorite Florence restaurants, 13 Gobbi. Everything there is lick-the-plate delicious, and I’ve been enough times to have tried nearly the entire menu. But of all their delicious dishes their pasta Chiantigiana has to be my favorite!
Pasta Chiantigiana hits that perfectly savory note, rich without too much heaviness. It only takes 25 minutes to prepare but is tasty enough for hosting a crowd. Plus, it’s equally good year-round, so add this recipe to your regular rotation for a no-fail dinner!
Let’s talk ingredients. For the wine, you can sub in any dry Italian red you like. But let’s be real: the dish is called pasta Chiantigiana – Chianti’s in the name, so my advice is to stick with that. It doesn’t need to be an expensive bottle though, save that for drinking!
Using beef (or pork, if you’ve got it) broth is more on the mark, flavor-wise, but you can use chicken broth if it’s what you have on hand.
It doesn’t really matter what type of pasta you use here. I started with penne because that’s the way I first had this dish, but I do recommend choosing one with ridges that can grab the sauce well.
Tools you’ll need: pot and skillet, grater, knife, and cutting board.
Pasta Chiantigiana
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne or short pasta
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ red onion (about ½ cup)
- 5 oz pancetta
- 1 ⅔ cups Chianti or another dry Italian red wine
- ½ cup beef broth can substitute chicken broth
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start boiling the water for pasta. When it's ready, cook to the package instructions, being sure to reserve a cup of pasta water when you drain it.
- Dice the pancetta into ¼ inch cutes (or so), and mince the onion. Grate the Parmesan.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally. After a minute, add the red onion. Cook an additional five minutes, until the pancetta is crispy and the fat has rendered.
- Add the broth and wine. Bring to a boil then turn back to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 9-10 minutes, until the liquid had reduced by half.
- When the pasta is done and the wine liquid has reduced, add the pasta, ½ cup of pasta water, and Parmesan. Toss together until everything is fully combined. If it seems just a little too liquid, let it sit for a minute and stir again.
- Season and serve with a sprinkling of more Parmesan.
Want more easy yet classic pasta dishes? Try carbonara, pasta al limone, or white lasagna. Or, focus on the pasta itself and make it from scratch!
13 Gobbi is a true gem. You brought it home for us. Bravo. Great recipe – perfect replica of an amazing dish. Thank you!!!
What a compliment, thank you! I’m so glad you loved it!
You have a great site – I found it looking for this recipe after coming home from Florence. We had this dish a couple of times, living right around the corner. Their other food is equally good as you know. They had a short pasta dish that was their specialty. That was crazy good too. In a light red sauce with fresh mozzarella. Do you know what that is called? I’ll bet you tried it!
Good luck with your site and travels!!
Thank you! That pasta is just called “I nostri rigatoni” – their house specialty, and I agree with you on how insanely delicious it is! It’s one of my husband’s favorite pastas of all times, and another I hope to eventually recreate.