Recipes with Wine - Cooking Light

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

20 Recipes with Wine

Cooking with wine allows food to absorb lush and diverse flavors. Reds lend rich, velvety flavors to meats and decadent desserts. Whites help to create a lighter sauce for broths and pastas. Store already-opened wine in the fridge to have around for cooking.

First up, this lamb shoulder recipe combines sweet wine and spring produce with lamb, a meat typically associated with the season. You may need to call ahead to order lamb shoulder from your regular butcher. Look for a producer of grass-fed lamb in your area.

View Recipe: Lamb Shoulder Braised with Spring Vegetables, Green Herbs, and White Wine

Photo: Brian Woodcock

Champagne–Browned Butter Chicken

This is a riff on coq au vin, the French standard of chicken and veggies simmered in red wine. The coq usually takes on a deep purplish-red cast from the vin, but our modern take cooks the chicken in broth: It tastes lighter and looks much brighter. After the chicken cooks, it's smothered with a delicious Champagne reduction sauce that's enriched with nutty brown butter.

View Recipe: Champagne-Browned Butter Chicken

Photo: Lee Harrelson

Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels and Red Pepper Sauce

This simple dinner of angel hair pasta with mussels is a delicious way to enjoy fresh seafood. Sweet red peppers help balance the naturally salty mussels, dry white wine, and the slightly acidic tomatoes.

View Recipe: Angel Hair Pasta with Mussels and Red Pepper Sauce

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Artichokes with Roasted Garlic-Wine Dip

The ritual of eating whole artichokes―tear off a leaf, eat the tender flesh, and repeat―is as much a part of the experience as the flavor. The creamy texture and sweet savoriness of roasted garlic in the dipping sauce serve to enhance everything to heavenly levels. If you plan to serve the remaining wine with this first course, choose a crisp, acidic pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc, which pair well with artichokes. Otherwise, any dry white will work for the sauce.

View Recipe: Artichokes with Roasted Garlic-Wine Dip

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Tomato-Based White Wine Fish Soup

This fish soup features a tomato-and-white-wine base, chopped vegetables, shrimp, scallops, and halibut. Serve with dry crusty bread for a complete meal.

View Recipe: Tomato-Based White Wine Fish Soup

John Autry

Chicken and Mushrooms with Marsala Wine Sauce

Try a lighter take on classic chicken marsala with this dish dressed in mushrooms and a marsala wine sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles to soak up the tasty sauce.

View Recipe: Chicken and Mushrooms with Marsala Wine Sauce

Photo: Randy Mayor

Beef Braised with Red Wine and Mushrooms

Add a teaspoon or two of ground dried porcini mushrooms along with the broth and red wine to give the dish an extra layer of mushroom flavor. Meaty, earthy-tasting mushrooms such as porcini or black trumpet are ideal. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

View Recipe: Beef Braised with Red Wine and Mushrooms

Photo: Johnny Autry

Chicken Piccata

Briny capers, white wine, and bright lemon really make this bird sing. Serve tangy Chicken Piccata with mashed potatoes or roasted seasonal root vegetables.

View Recipe: Chicken Piccata

Beef Daube Provençal

This classic French braised beef, red wine, and vegetable stew is simple and delicious. The flavor and texture allow you to keep it warm for your guests. Buy a whole-grain baguette, bagged salad greens, and bottled vinaigrette to round out the meal.

View Recipe: Beef Daube Provençal

Photo: Randy Mayor

Filet Mignon with Mushroom-Wine Sauce

Sweet Marsala and mushrooms give this choice dish an elegant taste. For simple sides, serve with packaged refrigerated mashed potatoes and bagged salad greens with bottled dressing.

View Recipe: Filet Mignon with Mushroom-Wine Sauce

Photo: Randy Mayor

Red Wine Reduction

A red wine reduction sounds impressive, but it isn't as difficult as you might think. You can turn this into a pan sauce for steak by removing the cooked steak from the pan, adding the stock to the pan and scraping to loosen browned bits, then proceeding with the recipe as follows. The deglazed bits add wonderful depth of flavor to the sauce.

View Recipe: Red Wine Reduction

Photo: Francesco Tonelli

Fusilli with Caramelized Spring Onions and White Wine

Dry white wine, garlic, and olive oil are key to starting a delicious, light sauce for pasta. Spring onions are those that have been harvested early—they look like scallions with large white bulbs. If they're unavailable, use Vidalia onions. Rotini (corkscrew pasta) will work in place of fusilli.

View Recipe: Fusilli with Caramelized Spring Onions and White Wine

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Strawberry-Blueberry Compote in Red Wine Syrup

Infusing red wine with warm spices and herbs creates a fragrant syrup for the distinctive ruby-hued compote. Serve over ice cream, pound cake, or with almond biscotti, and garnish with mint.

View Recipe: Strawberry-Blueberry Compote in Red Wine Syrup

Mussels in Tomato-Wine Broth

The people of Belgium dine on moules-frites, a staple dish of mussels and French fries. Try your hand at this international favorite. Steam mussels and place them in this savory wine broth. Lighten up the traditional way by having some plain toasted bread handy to soak up the broth. A glass of chilled white wine goes nicely with this dish.

View Recipe: Mussels in Tomato-Wine Broth

Photo: John Autry

Steamed Clams with White Wine and Tomatoes

Clam and mussels are best in a light wine broth with crusty bread to soak up the savory broth. Cook clams within 24 hours of purchasing in order to ensure freshness. Be sure to throw out any clams that don't close their shells when tapped.

View Recipe: Steamed Clams with White Wine and Tomatoes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Barley, Butternut Squash, and Shiitake Risotto

A dry or sweet white wine can be used here to flavor the pearl barley and pair with sweet butternut squash.

View Recipe: Barley, Butternut Squash, and Shiitake Risotto

Photography: José Picayo

Beef Filets with Red Wine Sauce and Roasted Veggie Fries

A velvety red wine such as pinot noir lends a rich flavor to the beef tenderloins. The cornmeal-coated veggies are a great addition as well.

View Recipe: Beef Filets with Red Wine Sauce and Roasted Veggie Fries

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce

This tasty chicken and asparagus with white wine sauce is easy enough for a weeknight dinner but impressive enough for company. This recipe works equally well with green beans or haricots verts in place of asparagus.

View Recipe: Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce

Photo: Johnny Autry

Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Leftover sauvignon blanc will work perfectly here. Put this recipe together in less than 25 minutes, probably without a trip to the store. It's adaptable to your pantry--if you don't have egg noodles, use another kind of pasta, and if you're out of tarragon, try basil, oregano, or thyme.

View Recipe: Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Photo: Randy Mayor

Red Wine Pear Crisp with Spiced Streusel

Pears and red wine combine beautifully in this dessert. Make sure that the pears are firm and not too ripe, or they will become mushy when cooked with the wine. Bosc and Anjou pears work well.

View Recipe: Red Wine Pear Crisp with Spiced Streusel