Kimchi Spaghetti Bowl with Black Girl Magic Rosé

This Kimchi Spaghetti Bowl is an easy and delicious way to use leftover pasta. It is super healthy as well! Gets even better paired with Black Girl Magic Rosé, which we feature for the February Wine Pairing Weekend event.

Recipe inspiration

I make a lot of delicious meals that don’t qualify as “recipes” per se, and thus don’t often get shared here on Cooking Chat.

These under the radar creations typically involve be perusing the refrigerator to find leftovers and other lingering ingredients that need to get used. That little bit of pasta might not be a meal on its own, but with a little bit of this and that, it could make a great lunch for me!

This Kimchi Spaghetti Bowl was born out of such a fridge quest. I had some leftover spaghetti, having served it with some Chicken Romano (recipe coming soon!). I tend to have chickpeas on hand, so added some to the bowl of pasta along with a bit of spinach. A couple scoops of kimchi completed an easy and delicious meal!

To share, or not to share?

As I mentioned, I don’t often share my leftover concoctions here. Maybe a quick post on Instagram or Threads, but they don’t seem to rise to the level of recipes to feature in an article.

But this kimchi spaghetti is super tasty and healthy. A humble bit of leftover pasta gets transformed when tossed with kimchi. Seemed like this might be something to write up here on Cooking Chat.

Then I checked out my SEO tools and saw that people do in fact search for kimchi spaghattie recipes. So I definitely need to share about my Kimchi Spaghetti Bowls.

Turns out, the kimchi spaghetti recipes out there tend to entail cooking the kimchi in a creamy sauce, sometimes with bacon. That sounds interesting too, but I’m going with my simple kimchi spaghetti bowl for now.

Rosé wine pairing

When Camilla announced she’d be hosting a “Pretty in Pink” themed Wine Pairing Weekend event, I saw the perfect opportunity to talk about my kimchi spaghetti.

Up until seeing Cam’s theme, I’d enjoyed my kimchi spaghetti as a tasty leftover lunch, generally paired with water. But I realized I had a bottle of 2020 Black Girl Magic Rosé (appx. $14, 13 % ABV) on hand, and recalled how well it paired with the Berbere Lentil Chili as well as some spicy Haitian chicken. That spicy vegetarian chili recipe was shared by Takera over on Flights and Food as part of a 2022 Black History Month recipe collection from Black creators. Fitting to mention here during BHM 2024!

So did the Black Girl Magic Rosé stand up to the spicy, funky flavors of the kimchi spaghetti bowl? Oh, yeah!

I get peach on the nose of this rosé. On the palate, pink bubblegum and a bit of melon. It refreshes nicely after a bite of the spicy kimchi, making you ready for more.

I noted this bottle seemed more subdued than the previous time I had it. At first, I assumed that was a difference in vintages. Then I realized I was tasting the 2020 again, which I first wrote about in 2022. So the flavors had evolved a bit. Still good drinking and pairing, but not quite as vibrant.

As I have noted previously, it’s a bit of a mystery as to what grapes are used for the Black Girl Magic Rosé. I’ve seen it described as 100% Pinot Noir, Pinot blend, 100% Malbec. Grab a bottle and tell me what you’d guess! The winery website gives the varietal as “rosé” which is not helpful in settling the matter.

About McBride Sisters Wine

Robin and Andrea McBride are sisters with quite a story, which I talked about in a previous article. For this post, I’ll simply say they didn’t meet until they were adults, and went on to develop the largest Black owned winery in the United States.

The grapes for the rosé are from California, but they also produce wines from New Zealand.

Making kimchi spaghetti

Ok, let’s get into some of the details for making this kimchi spaghetti bowl! Here are some of the ingredients and related notes:

• Cooked spaghetti: As I said use leftover spaghetti for this recipe – in fact, finding a use for leftover spaghetti was a prime motivation behind this creation! Thin capellini or angel hair pasta also works nicely in this recipe. Cook the pasta according to package instructions if you don’t have some cooked spaghetti on hand.
• Kimchi is of course a key ingredient here! Will talk a bit more about kimchi below.
• Chickpeas add protein and fiber to the recipe. You can swap out other beans such cannellini if you like. This is the kind of recipe designed to use things already in the house!
• Spinach: I typically add a handful of baby spinach to the kimchi spaghetti. If I have leftover cooked greens such as sautéed arugula or collard greens, I use that.
• Feta cheese adds a nice touch, but you can skip if you like.
• Chicken: I sometimes add a bit of leftover chicken to the kimchi spaghetti. But I did a vegetarian version the night I took the photos for the recipe and pairing.

The night I took the pictures for this article, I used leftover chickpeas and spinach from this NY Times Cooking recipe for this One Pan Crispy Chicken and Chickpeas. That’s a delicious recipe for chicken thighs, by the way. Included a gift link to the recipe.

What is kimchi?

I’m a big kimchi fan! But I realize some may be unfamiliar.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish that has a significant place in Korean cuisine. It is a fermented vegetable dish typically made from cabbage, radishes, and various seasonings such as chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and salt. The fermentation process gives kimchi its tangy flavor and produces beneficial probiotics, making it not only flavorful but also nutritious.

I tend to like kimchi that has a decent amount of kick. Lately I’ve been grabbing the Cleveland Classic Kimchi, which is available at a number of grocery stores in our area. (I included my Amazon affiliate link there in case you want to order some now!) You can also make your own kimchi – here’s a good kimchi recipe from The Frayed Apron, and another recipe for kimchi with gochuchang from Give Me The Vitamins.

For some other recipes using kimchi, try our Kimchi Pork Tenderloin Two Ways and our Kimchi Chicken Burritos.

Recipe overview

Here’s a quick visual overview for making a kimchi spaghetti bowl. The recipe card below has all the details.

Place the spaghetti in a bowl.

Add the chickpeas, spinach and olive oil to the bowl. Sprinkle the feta cheese on top, if using.

Heat the spaghetti mixture for about 90 seconds, until warm.

Spoon out about two tablespoons of kimchi to top the bowl.

Mix it in a bit, and you are ready to enjoy!

Recipe card

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Recipe card

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