Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta & Base
- 400 g dried pasta, dry
- 30 g salt
Toasted Pistachios
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 60 g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Sauce & Vegetables
- 30 ml olive oil
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 4 garlic, thinly sliced
- 30 g capers, drained
- 1 g red chili flakes
- 250 g baby spinach, washed
Finish
- 40 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 15 ml lemon juice
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 694 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrates
- 80 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 3275 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 12 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 39 mg
- Potassium
- 975 mg
- Calcium
- 252 mg
- Iron
- 5.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 182 mg
- Phosphorus
- 553 mg
- Zinc
- 3.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 425 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 21 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 310 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.19 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.20 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 133 mcg
- Water
- 75 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season heavily with salt. Add the pasta and cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions for al dente.
While the water boils, melt the first batch of butter (20g) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pistachios and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Remove nuts from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.
In the same skillet used for the nuts, add the olive oil and remaining butter (40g) over medium heat. Once melted, add the sliced garlic, capers, and chili flakes. Sauté gently until the garlic is soft and pale gold, being careful not to burn it.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add the baby spinach to the skillet along with 60ml of the reserved hot pasta water. Toss rapidly until the spinach is just wilted.
Transfer the drained pasta directly into the skillet. Add the grated parmesan and another splash (approx. 60-100ml) of pasta water. Toss vigorously with tongs to emulsify the butter, cheese, and water into a glossy sauce that coats the noodles.
Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt if needed (capers and parmesan add significant salt already). Serve immediately topped with the reserved butter-toasted pistachios.
Chef's Notes
- Toasting the pistachios in butter separately ensures they stay crunchy and don't get soggy in the sauce.
- The secret to a glossy sauce is 'mantecatura'—the vigorous tossing of pasta, fat, cheese, and starch water at the very end.
- If you love citrus, grate the zest of the lemon into the sauce along with the garlic for an extra aromatic lift.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Pistachios will lose their crunch upon reheating.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water to re-emulsify the sauce.
Troubleshooting
Sauce is greasy or oily rather than creamy
Cause: The emulsion broke due to high heat or insufficient starch water
Fix: Add another splash of hot pasta water and whisk or toss vigorously to re-bind the fats
Prevention: Toss vigorously off the heat or on very low heat; ensure enough pasta water is used
Cultural Context
This dish is a modern 'pantry pasta' common in contemporary American cooking, borrowing the 'aglio e olio' foundation from Italy but enriching it with French-style butter mounting and textural contrasts typical of New American cuisine.
