23 Ways To Keep An Opened Bottle Of Wine From Becoming A Sad Vinegar Experiment

An open bottle of wine has a deadline. After a few days, it’s no good for drinking and barely hanging on for cooking. Letting it sit until it turns is pointless, but pouring it out feels wasteful. The better option is to use it while it still adds something. These recipes make smart use of wine before it goes bad. You get a solid meal, and get your money’s worth from the bottle.

Lamb Bolognese

Lamb, wine, tomatoes, and herbs get simmered into something that clings to pasta like it’s been waiting for it all day. This is one of those dishes that tastes like it took hours even if it didn’t. That bottle of red? Use it.
Get the Recipe: Lamb Bolognese

Instant Pot Venison Roast

The Instant Pot makes quick work of this hearty meal. Venison, potatoes, and carrots get cooked with wine until everything is fork-tender. The sauce alone makes it worth opening a bottle—but it’s even better if the bottle was already open.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Venison Roast

Red Wine Beef Stew Stuffed Potatoes

This beef stew uses red wine and a touch of chocolate for something bold and rich. Stuff it into baked potatoes and call it dinner. It’s cozy, smart, and a great excuse to keep wine in the kitchen instead of the trash.
Get the Recipe: Red Wine Beef Stew Stuffed Potatoes

Baked Gnocchi

This one-pan dinner is quick, hearty, and uses just eight ingredients. It’s ready in about 30 minutes, which makes it perfect for nights when you want to keep it simple. You can sneak in a splash of wine into the sauce to stop that half-used bottle from haunting your fridge door.
Get the Recipe: Baked Gnocchi

Chicken Marsala

Marsala wine gets put to good use here in this fast chicken dinner that’s ready in around 30 minutes. It’s bold, rich, and doesn’t take much effort. This is exactly the kind of recipe that makes you glad you didn’t dump out that open bottle last week.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Marsala

Instant Pot Baked Ziti

Jarred sauce, sausage, pasta, and the Instant Pot do all the heavy lifting. Add a pour of wine into the pot and suddenly you’ve got a one-dish meal that tastes like you tried harder than you did. This is how you keep wine from going to waste without even thinking about it.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Baked Ziti

Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Clove Chicken

Garlic, cream, and wine come together fast in the Instant Pot. It’s the kind of recipe that sounds like a big deal but really just means dinner’s done in about half an hour. That wine you forgot about? It just earned its place at the table.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Clove Chicken

One-Pan Baked Tortellini

This skillet recipe is made for busy nights and tired people. It’s pasta, sauce, cheese, and 30 minutes of minimal thinking. Wine gets tossed in, cooked down, and suddenly dinner has some depth to it. No one has to know you didn’t plan ahead.
Get the Recipe: One-Pan Baked Tortellini

One Pot Creamy Sausage Gnocchi

Everything lands in one pot—gnocchi, sausage, and whatever wine you need to use up. It’s creamy, quick, and tastes like you know what you’re doing. Add a glass for yourself while you’re at it.
Get the Recipe: One Pot Creamy Sausage Gnocchi

Chicken Paprikash with Spaetzle

Chicken, paprika, and that half bottle of wine that’s been glaring at you? This is the answer. It’s a classic recipe that takes just a few ingredients and turns them into a solid dinner with zero stress. The spaetzle soaks up the sauce and the wine pulls its weight.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Paprikash with Spaetzle

Beef Bourguignon

This isn’t just stew. This is what you do when you’ve got red wine to burn and a craving for something that sticks to your ribs. Let the beef hang out with veggies and wine for a few hours and you’ve got yourself a weekend win.
Get the Recipe: Beef Bourguignon

White Fish in White Wine Sauce

Got white fish and a white wine you’re tired of pretending you’ll drink? This is the move. Garlic, lemon, herbs, and wine come together fast, and dinner feels way more put-together than it really is.
Get the Recipe: White Fish in White Wine Sauce

Chicken with Dates Casserole that Packs a Punch

Chicken thighs, dates, olives, and capers sound like a lot, but it all goes into one pan and handles itself. That wine on the counter? It fits right in and pulls the whole thing together. This one’s bold and sweet and way easier than it looks.
Get the Recipe: Chicken with Dates Casserole that Packs a Punch

Pasta with Pancetta and Peas

Pancetta, garlic, shallots, peas, and white wine bring this pasta to life without making things complicated. It’s quick and perfect for using up the last glass in that bottle you keep saying you’ll finish.
Get the Recipe: Pasta with Pancetta and Peas

Broccolini Pizza

This pizza feels fancy without being annoying. The broccolini and wine-based sauce do most of the work, and you just get credit for knowing how to make a pizza that doesn’t come frozen. Great way to get rid of that awkward splash of wine left in the bottle.
Get the Recipe: Broccolini Pizza

Slow Cooker Bolognese

Throw everything in the slow cooker and walk away. Ground meat, a bit of wine, and hours later you’ve got a thick sauce ready to smother pasta. This is comfort food that makes smart use of that bottle you opened and forgot.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Bolognese

Venetian Duck Ragu with Bigoli Pasta

If you’ve got leftover wine and want something bold, this duck ragu is a great reason to go big. The sauce is rich and slow-simmered, and perfect for when you want something that tastes like a celebration without the work of one.
Get the Recipe: Venetian Duck Ragu with Bigoli Pasta

Pasta with Lamb Ragu

Lamb ragu is hearty and rich, and a good excuse to pour that red wine into something useful. It simmers until the flavors are deep and ready to grab onto any pasta you’ve got on hand. This one feels like a Sunday dinner, even if it’s just Wednesday night.
Get the Recipe: Pasta with Lamb Ragu

Scallops in Lemon Wine Sauce

This is fast, easy, and perfect for when you want dinner to look a little fancier. Scallops cook in minutes, and that leftover white wine gives the sauce just enough bite to feel balanced.
Get the Recipe: Scallops in Lemon Wine Sauce

Chicken Piccata

Lemon, capers, white wine, and chicken come together in under 30 minutes. It’s bright, bold, and great for making use of that half-drunk bottle. Serve it with pasta or bread and call it a night.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Piccata

Coq au Vin

This one uses a decent amount of wine, which makes it perfect when you’ve got an open bottle you need to drain. It’s a slow cook situation, but the end result is a deep, rich sauce that wraps around every bite of chicken.
Get the Recipe: Coq au Vin

Beef Tenderloin Roast with Red Wine Sauce

A roast this good doesn’t need a ton of extras—just time, salt, and wine. You’ll roast it low and slow, and that wine sauce brings everything together. If you’re trying to impress or just need a reason to finally use up that red, this one works.
Get the Recipe: Beef Tenderloin Roast with Red Wine Sauce

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Mussels steam in minutes and soak up everything in the pan. White wine, garlic, and herbs do their thing, and all you really need is some bread to scoop up what’s left. Great move when your wine is running out of time.
Get the Recipe: Mussels in White Wine Sauce