Garlic Butter Spaghetti with Wilted Spinach
The dish to make on the night that bag of spinach is about to turn.
Recipe Author
Riff Kitchen@riffkitchen
Garlic Butter Spaghetti with Wilted Spinach
The dish to make on the night that bag of spinach is about to turn.
By Riff KitchenOn Riff.kitchen, recipes start from what is already in your fridge. Add what you have, and it plans around whatever goes off first.
- 5 prep · 15 cook
- 20 min
- servings
- 2
- effort
- Easy
Classic's note
Spinach collapses to almost nothing, so a sad half-bag that looks like too little is exactly right for two plates. Wilting it in the pasta pan means no extra washing up.
Method
6 steps · tap one to tick it off
Tips
Slice the garlic thin and even. Even slices turn pale gold together. Thick and thin pieces mixed means some burn while others are still raw.
Dry the spinach after washing. Wet leaves dump water into the butter, so the sauce turns thin and dull instead of glossy.
Save more pasta water than you need. Spinach and butter soak up liquid fast. Extra on hand lets you loosen the sauce if it tightens before serving.
Swaps
No Cheese (Parmesan)? Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano. Pecorino is saltier, so salt the pasta water a little less.
No Pasta (Spaghetti)? Linguine or fettuccine, which hold the butter sauce just as well.
Storage
Fridge: 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. The butter sets as it cools, so the pasta looks dry until rewarmed.
Freezer: 2 to 3 months for best quality. The pasta comes back softer and the spinach darker.
Reheat: In a skillet with a splash of water over medium-low heat, tossing, until steaming hot (75°C in the center).
Fridge and reheating follow Illinois Extension; freezer times are for quality and follow the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as on what freezes and what does not.
Made it?
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Classic's note
Spinach collapses to almost nothing, so a sad half-bag that looks like too little is exactly right for two plates. Wilting it in the pasta pan means no extra washing up.
Instructions
Follow the steps to perfection.
Tips
Slice the garlic thin and even. Even slices turn pale gold together. Thick and thin pieces mixed means some burn while others are still raw.
Dry the spinach after washing. Wet leaves dump water into the butter, so the sauce turns thin and dull instead of glossy.
Save more pasta water than you need. Spinach and butter soak up liquid fast. Extra on hand lets you loosen the sauce if it tightens before serving.
Swaps
No Cheese (Parmesan)? Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano. Pecorino is saltier, so salt the pasta water a little less.
No Pasta (Spaghetti)? Linguine or fettuccine, which hold the butter sauce just as well.
Storage
Fridge: 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. The butter sets as it cools, so the pasta looks dry until rewarmed.
Freezer: 2 to 3 months for best quality. The pasta comes back softer and the spinach darker.
Reheat: In a skillet with a splash of water over medium-low heat, tossing, until steaming hot (75°C in the center).
Fridge and reheating follow Illinois Extension; freezer times are for quality and follow the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as on what freezes and what does not.
Made it?
Tap a star to rate it.
Community Reviews 0
No reviews yet. Be the first to try this!
Riff Assistant
Ready to Remix