Italian Drunken Noodles

An Italian spin on an authentic Thai dish, Italian Drunken Noodles are made with wide egg noodles, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, fresh basil and peppers. This recipe is spicy, flavorful and easy to make in just 29 minutes!

We love easy pasta recipes around our house. Especially pasta recipes made in 45 minutes or less. That’s probably why this recipe for Italian Drunken Noodles has been on our regularly weekly menu since 2018. It only takes 29 minutes to make and we love the spicy flavors of the dish.

To make this delicious Italian spin on the traditional Thai dish, it only takes 3 steps. Simply boil the egg noodles, simmer the Italian sausage with peppers, tomato sauce and Italian seasonings, then toss it all together with fresh tomato wedges and basil.

Easy as that, a delicious Italian meal is served!

So why are they called drunken noodles?

I’ve heard many stories about where the name “drunken noodles” came from in Thai cuisine. Some say it came from a drunk person tossing several things from their refrigerator into one dish to soak up the alcohol. Another story goes that you need to have a drink with the noodles because the dish tends to be on the spicy side.

While the origination of the name is still up for debate, there is no alcohol found in traditional Thai drunken noodles, or in this dish for Italian drunken noodles.

It is, however, great paired with a cold glass of white wine or beer!

Ingredients

• Wide egg noodles (or pappardelle pasta) – similar to Thai drunken noodles, which uses a wide rice noodle, for this recipe you’ll want a wide egg noodle. Pappardelle is simply a type of wide egg noodle, so you can you any pasta labeled pappardelle noodles or wide egg noodles for this recipe. Just make sure they’re long noodles, and not the short, curly egg noodles.
• Olive oil – or another neutral flavored oil, like avocado or vegetable oil.
• Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced for the best flavor.
• Onion – the neutral flavor of a yellow onion is perfect for this recipe. You’ll need one cup of onion, which is about half of a large onion.
• Pepperoncinis – for this recipe, you’ll want Italian pepperoncinis, not Greek pepperoncinis. They are slightly spicy and add a wonderful, tangy flavor to this recipe. You can purchase them sliced in a jar, or purchase them whole and slice them at home before adding them to this dish.
• Spicy Italian sausage – the original Thai recipe for drunken noodles is known for being spicy. To replicate that flavor in this Italian version of the dish, we’re using spicy Italian sausage. You can purchase cooked Italian sausage links, or fresh Italian sausage links, as seen above. If using the fresh links, they’re a little harder to slice. I recommend placing them in the freezer for 30 minutes, then slicing them so that they stay more uniform in the recipe. If you prefer the texture of crumbled sausage, you can also use loose spicy sausage and crumble it in the recipe.
• Bell peppers – I like to use one red bell pepper and one green bell pepper to add color and flavor to the dish. But feel free to use any combination of bell peppers that you’d like. You can use an orange pepper and yellow pepper, or simply use two red or two green peppers.
• Tomato sauce
• Beef broth – you can use chicken broth, but beef broth adds more of a rich flavor to the dish that I prefer in this recipe.
• Salt + black pepper – to season the dish, plus additional salt to add to the boiling water for the pasta.
• Italian seasoning – click the link for my homemade seasoning mix. It’s easy to mix up in 5 minutes or less, and adds wonderful flavor to this dish. Of course, you can also purchase premade Italian seasoning in the spice aisle at the grocery store .
• Red pepper flakes – also used to spice up this dish. Add more or less, depending on how spicy you want the pasta dish to end up.
• Tomatoes – two medium-sized ripe tomatoes are perfect for slicing into wedges for this recipe.
• Fresh basil leaves – just as Thai drunken noodles are finished with Thai basil, this Italian version of the recipe is finished with fresh Italian-style basil leaves.

Instructions

I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, recipe video and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

To begin this recipe, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add diced onions, minced garlic and sliced pepperoncinis. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add sliced bell peppers and spicy Italian sausage to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the sausage is browned on the outside.

3. Pour tomato sauce and beef broth into the pan with the browned spicy Italian sausage and veggies. Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the cooked, drained pasta to the pan, along with the tomato wedges and toss to combine everything. Simmer on the stove for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat on the stove off and toss the pasta with fresh basil leaves. Use tongs to transfer the pasta into equal portions in 4 separate bowls and garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese, if you’d like.

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