Pasta With Garlicky Spinach and Buttered Pistachios
Published April 14, 2020
Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Carrie Purcell.
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Kosher salt and black pepper
12 ounces mezze rigatoni or other short pasta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup roasted salted pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained
12 ounces spinach, stems trimmed to 1-inch length, or Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
73 grams carbs; 31 milligrams cholesterol; 532 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 20 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 486 milligrams sodium; 17 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- Step 2
After pasta has been cooking for about 2 minutes, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pistachios, garlic and capers and cook, stirring to keep the garlic from scorching, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Step 3
Add spinach to skillet one handful at a time, season with salt and cook, tossing, until wilted, about 1 or 2 minutes.
- Step 4
Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to the skillet along with ½ cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high, tossing, until liquid reduces and coats the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with Parmesan.
Private Notes
Comments
actually Julie, someone sent me a giant bag of pistachios for Christmas and I still have a lot left....I have to shell them, but they are a godsend!!! the gift that keeps on giving!!!
Seriously, in these troubled times, who has pistachios hanging around? Chopped some raw almonds and sauteed them in the butter with a little olive oil. Took them out, did the rest of the saute and added them in at the end. Added red pepper flakes because they are always good. Quick, the saucy spinach was done before the pasta. Very versatile, use what you have on hand. Little sliced onion, little sliced cabbage, anything. Capers and garlic are key.
I've made this recipe twice and my husband and I love it. I added red pepper flakes both times. I made an important adjustment the second time, adding the pasta and pasta water after cooking the garlic, nuts and capers, but before adding the spinach. The pasta gets fully coated with the sauce and the spinach does not wilt down to nothing. I also added a few extra pinches of sea salt. Delicious!
This was delicious! I made according to the directions for 1/2 and it came out perfectly. It’s def a keeper in our rotation
I didn’t have spinach so I used cabbage. Also added Italian sausage. Fabulous!
I would suggest starting the sauce earlier so you have time to let the butter brown a bit. Agree with others that saving the spinach till last will help. If it’s too wilted, it clumps, and doesn’t distribute evenly. I thought the sauce was a bit basic (hence my suggestion to brown the butter), but the flavors melded together the next day for leftovers. Added cottage cheese to leftovers which made the sauce creamy - I know, I’m weird. Maybe a small amount of capers brine would help build the sauce too. Loved how simple the recipe was!