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; 35 milligrams cholesterol; 554 calories; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 499 milligrams sodium; 19 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 is delicious and quick to prepare. I used Veggie Craft Rotini pasta and added shrimp that I sauted in garlic. I had thrown out the pasta water before seeing within the instructions that I needed it for the final step. I just used boiled water and it came out great.
Liked this a lot. Followed others in adding cannellini beans. I didn’t get much of a sauce so stirred in a bit of ricotta at the finish - that coated the pasta and pulled everything together. I’ll cut back slightly on the capers next time as the addition of creamy beans and ricotta highlight the briny flavor so a little goes a long way,
Made this for 6 and adjusted amounts accordingly. Used farm fresh Swiss chard, saving stems for another time. Rough cut the chard and cooked until nicely wilted. The chard really stands up to the dish. Capers add a flavorful acidity. Delicious all around. Can cook the chard a little earlier. I drained the pasta, mixed into the pot with the chard, added pasta water. Stir that all together as directed. Buttery, salty and delish!