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green angel hair with garlic butter + smitten kitchen keepers is here!

by deb Jump to recipe, comments

Today my third cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Keepers, comes out and thank goodness, because it’s been impossibly hard to keep it from you this long.

It feels downright unfair that I figured out how to make the best molasses cookie — thick, tender, but also one-bowl, no hand-mixer required, the kind that makes your whole home smell like the holidays — and you’re only finding out about it today. My favorite pot roast is in there; sometimes I add rice shortly before it’s done for a truly one-pot meal-of-a-braise that feels perfect for this cold week. There’s a warm hoagie that’s practically a vegetarian cheesesteak. The most perfect chocolate chip cookie I could possibly dream up is there (it has salted walnut brittle inside). A deep dish, actual doorstop of a broccoli cheddar quiche that serves a crowd and an egg salad, just for us. The easiest three-layer chocolate party cake that could ever exist is filled with a salt-flecked milk chocolate buttercream and it’s designed to fit in the bottom of a shopping bag so you can take it everywhere with you. The actual craziest thing I’ve suggested you do with cabbage (salt, vinegar, and char it), might lead to the craziest thing you do with cabbage (eat it from the pan, standing up). There are cream cheese and jam challah buns that make me think of my dad and there’s a pound cake that I hope could be worth the cover price alone.


They’re all, to me, keepers — the kind of recipes that you make and know instantly that you’ll want them to be part of your repertoires forever. For 17 years on this site, I’ve paid close attention to what happens when we are in kitchen and I try to apply everything I’ve learned about how to make shopping easier, cooking more doable and enjoyable, and the outcomes more reliably delicious. Because if you hate making the recipe — if the process was persnickety and you dirtied every bowl in your kitchen — it barely matters if the result was otherworldly, you’re going to avoid it. And I want these to be recipes you, above all, love to make.

And then there’s the Green Angel Hair with Garlic Butter, the swirly, verdantly tangled cover dish, which came out a whim of a party snack. A few New Year’s Eves ago, I set out to make my case for the return of whole-roasted heads of garlic, except, instead of roasting the garlic with a drizzle of olive oil, I used a stick of butter (“Whoops!”), roasted it for the better part of an hour, and blended it smooth, and we smeared it on pieces of bread and, did you know, I also made a cheese soufflé that night? And beef Wellington? (The theme was old-school decadence.) Neither of those dishes made the impression that the roasted garlic butter did.

But what if you want weekday garlic butter confit in your life? And your life doesn’t have crostini and sparkly cocktails on a Tuesday, much as that needs correction? Well, then, you should take this garlic butter and blend it with a bag of spinach until the garlic butter is brilliantly green, and toss it with spaghetti finished with black pepper and sharp Pecorino cheese for not only one of the best things I’ve ever made for dinner, but also the recipe I expect you to look at the least: make it once, memorize it forever.

The Smitten Kitchen Keepers Book Tour: It begins this evening. I’ll be signing books at Fish’s Eddy in Manhattan from 5-7pm and I hope to see you there. (There will be cookies! And fizzy drinks!) Every other event — Atlanta on Thursday! Union Square Greenmarket this Saturday! Toronto next week! and so, so much more! — is listed on the Events page, and more are added every week so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming announcements of New Jersey and Vancouver events. I hope to see you on tour! I hope we can finally hang out.

Green Angel Hair with Garlic Butter

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) salted or unsalted butter, sliced into a few pieces
  • 1 large head garlic, halved crosswise
  • Kosher salt
  • 5 ounces (140 grams) baby spinach
  • 1 pound (455 grams) thin spaghetti such as angel hair or capellini
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Pecorino romano, to finish

    Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).

    Arrange the butter slices across the bottom of a small (2-cup) baking dish. Sprinkle with salt: ¼ teaspoon if using salted butter, and ½ teaspoon if unsalted. Place the garlic halves, cut side down, over the butter and salt. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the garlic is absolutely soft when poked with a knife and golden brown along the cut side. Carefully remove the foil. Empty the garlic cloves into the melted butter. I do this by lifting the peels out of the butter with tongs, allowing most cloves to fall out, and using the tip of a knife to free the cloves that don’t. Scrape any browned bits from the sides of the baking vessel into the butter.

    Meanwhile, cook your pasta in well-salted water until 1 to 2 minutes shy of done. Before you drain it, ladle 1 cup pasta water into a cup, and set it aside. Hang on to the pot you cooked the pasta in.

    Place the spinach in a blender or food-processor bowl, and pour the garlic butter over it, scraping out any butter left behind. Add another ¾ teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper, and/or a couple pinches of red-pepper flakes, and blend the mixture until totally smooth. If it’s not blending, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water to help it along. Taste for seasoning, and add more if needed.

    Pour the spinach sauce into the empty spaghetti pot, and add the drained pasta and a splash of pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing constantly, for 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the spaghetti. If the pasta sticks to the bottom of the pot, add more reserved pasta water in splashes to get it moving. Tip the pasta into a serving bowl, finish with more salt and pepper and freshly grated cheese, and hurry—it disappears fast.

    Notes:

  • I know you’re going to balk over the angel hair, a most unpopular pasta shape, and though it’s not required here, it’s made for this—a thin sauce that clings easily to fine strands.
  • You can replace half the butter (4 tablespoons, or 55 grams) with olive oil, if you wish. You can bump up the greens to 8 ounces if you like it even greener, but make sure the dish is seasoned extra well to adjust.

Note: Smitten Kitchen Keepers cookbook images — the cover, first collage of book recipes, and the top photo in this post — have been styled by Barrett Washburne. (Photographed by me, Deb Perelman, as are all of the photos on the site and in my books.)

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328 comments on green angel hair with garlic butter + smitten kitchen keepers is here!

    1. Jessica

      I made this tonight (and bought the book) and it’s going straight into my make-forever file! I was nervous as I smelled the spinach sauce (how much do I like spinach?!?! Not that much) but it tastes like heavenly garlic butter, and the pecorino is the PEEFECT contrast.

      95% of my keeper recipes are already from Smitten Kitchen, and I can’t wait to discover more!

      Also I roasted 4 heads of garlic in 1 cup of butter, and I removed half the roasted garlic for later and then used 2 heads and all the butter to double the sauce and freeze half for later. Yum!!

      1. deb

        I’m glad it was a hit! You could also use baby kale her or even another lightly blanched vegetable you like — broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli rabe.

    2. Bee

      Received my book yesterday ( in UK). Have been devouring it and looking forward to trying out the recipes. First stop black bean chilli. Thank you Deb

      1. Megan Rowe

        Made this with frozen spinach and fusilli and it was delicious. I love that it has few ingredients that most people would have on hand, too.

    1. Meredith

      LOL, I almost never comment, but came here to say this! I’ve only accidentally bought spaghetti for years — angel hair, or “thin spaghetti,” as my midwestern supermarket brands have it — is it for me.

        1. Meredith

          Oh, those are all hilarious (and also wrong*. Because who has to rank pasta shapes?! That’s like saying a hammer is better than a screwdriver is better than a wrench — each has its place, and when you need one, the other will not do.)

          *I’m Team Cavatippi, if I had to pick. Or maybe gemelli, neither of which even got a mention from Tampa Bay Times.

      2. stephanie

        that is interesting – here in new england (at least MA and RI anyway), angel hair and thin spaghetti are not the same. thin spaghetti is in between angel hair and regular spaghetti.

        1. Shannon

          This surprised me, I’m in the Midwest (MN) and we have angel hair AND thin spaghetti, too. I feel like thin spaghetti isn’t that common – they have it in a store with a ton of shelf space for pasta but it’s not a standard like angel hair is.

          1. Lindsey

            I don’t consume a lot of pasta by choice but decided to make this for my visiting parents. I loved the simplicity of this dish and how the entire house smelled of roasted garlic. I almost wanted to slather some of the spinach mixture on sourdough bread. I flavors were absolutely delicious!

            Congratulations on your third book!

    3. Sara

      Hah! My first thought was, I trust Deb but I’m subbing in spaghetti. Angel hair is the wet mop of pasta. Team rigatoni all the way! Texture, please!

      1. Marika

        How do leftovers keep in the fridge (taste/texture-wise)? Could I store extras for a day or 3? Or is this a must eat day off kinda dish? It looks so good!

        1. Sigita Clark

          We just had day old leftovers last night that we warmed up in a non stick skillet. Shockingly the angel hair pasta stayed separate and it was delicious. No clumping. Pretty genius. Enjoy.

  4. Erika’s Test Kitchen

    Mine is on its way to me and I was already SO excited before reading your post! Pound cake! Challah buns! Pot roast! I am overwhelmed. Congratulations, Deb, and thank you. <3

  6. Carolyne

    Looking forward to seeing you on January 21st; looking forward to having your new cookbook delivered today; looking forward to making this green angel hair pasta TONIGHT!

  8. Erin

    Congratulations and thanks for the recipe! I woke up to an email that my delivery is running late *sob*. Can’t wait to cook it all!

  9. Liz

    Congratulations on your third cookbook!

    I just wanted to ask – could you share about what percentage of this book is vegetarian-friendly? Thank you so much in advance.

  10. Anna

    I’m eager to get home from work and (hopefully) find the new cookbook waiting for me. Congratulations! And yes, you understand so well how we all want to cook and what we want to eat.

    1. Elizabeth Davis

      Mazal tov! Mazal tov! Your new book is hopefully arriving today. Can’t wait!! Only sad that your DC stop sold out before I could get tickets. Plan B: a bunch of us will each make a recipe from the book and throw a Smitten Kitchen dinner party.

  11. Meagan

    I preordered and I’m currently tracking my delivery truck in it’s way too my place. I made a smitten kitchen soup for lunch and have booked off half of the afternoon to read my cookbook once it arrives!
    I have made 80% of the recipes in your last cookbook and I can’t wait to check out this one!

  13. Bentley

    I think I know what’s for dinner tonight! Love what you do Deb, congrats and best wishes for a fantabulous book tour/holiday season!

  14. Sharon

    So bummed – my book is delayed til tomorrow. WHY??? Amazon warehouse is literally 5 min from my house. Need. Book. Now! So excited for you, Deb. I’ve been reading since the beginning.

  15. Connie

    My book arrived this afternoon! I had thought the first recipe I would make from it would be the galetter, but the green angel hair is calling my name. Deb, I love your dedication to Alex.

  16. Frances

    Congratulations, Deb! My cat let me peruse about half the recipes before he sat on the book and refused to move. But, that’s ok. I already know that I’m making this pasta, the black bean chili, the endive salad, and the french toast later this week (not all at once though). So excited to cook my way through this one!

  18. Tracy VanDeBoom

    I woke up my love saying “It’s Smitten Kitchen Day!” We can’t wait to cheer you on in Minneapolis at the end of the month. Many congratulations to you, Deb. 💕

  19. Christy

    Congrats, Deb! Cannot wait to go pick up your cookbook (special ordered from my local bookstore) after work today! I have loved every cookbook and just know this is keeper. :)

  20. Tamara

    I was just about to ask: what about subbing heart-healthy olive oil for the butter and upping the spinach? And there it was in the notes! This will be fun, and thanks for the education about angel hair pasta.

  21. Kristin

    Oooh, oooh, oooh! Gotta call my bookstore and see if my pre-order is in so I can get it before working on this week’s menus! Can’t wait!!

  22. Brenda O.

    I had an advance digital copy of the book, and have made the Green Angel Hair with Garlic butter twice already. It’s delicious, and definitely a keeper. Congrats on your new book; I’m picking up my print copy this week.

  24. Cathy

    Got my copy of your new cookbook today! Beautiful! I’m still enjoying reading the head notes, excited to try so many new things. Happy to see our favorite egg sandwich on the page, a true keeper. Congratulations on your hard work!

  25. Mary

    Congratulations, and thank you–I am so excited for this! You really are the best, and I can’t wait to make everything in the book!

  27. Susan

    I’m so excited I ordered your cookbook twice by accident! Luckily my local indie bookstore emailed me to say ‘no judgment but just checking, did you know you already pre-ordered this five months ago?’. Picking it up tomorrow! Happy book birthday!

  29. Claire

    Can’t wait to receive my pre-ordered copy … to the point, if it doesn’t come by the weekend, I’ll run to the store and buy one. The second one will be someone’s lucky Christmas present. Also can’t wait to see you in Toronto!

  30. Erin

    I’m so excited my book came today! Can’t wait to read it all tomorrow morning and start planning for the first recipe to cook. Congratulations Deb!

  31. Catherine

    My copy arrived today and I am thumbing through it now. It is so beautiful and inspirational thus far! I’m already debating what to make first (SO HARD TO CHOOSE!). Congratulations, Deb! <3

  32. Sarah

    I saw this post in the morning and it consumed me all day. I made it with fettuccine (all I had) and yes, absolutely, 100% a keeper. Luxurious but still perfect for a weeknight.

  33. Jacksund

    Made this tonight mostly because of this sentence, “… for not only one of the best things I’ve ever made for dinner, but also the recipe I expect you to look at the least: make it once, memorize it forever.” It was so good – kids had several servings and there isn’t any left. Thank you, Deb. I never comment but your site has changed/improved my cooking over the years and you are my go-to. Can’t wait to get the book – best of luck on tour.

  34. Gina

    I cannot wait to make this and cannot wait to read your book cover to cover when I get home tomorrow. (I’m currently on book tour with my MIL who wrote a novel). I preordered a solo VIP ticket to your Irvine event and can’t wait!! (A little nervous to be alone but who cares bc I have been a huge fan of yours for over 12 years). Xoxoxo

  36. anna

    Congratulations on the new baby (well, book)! Impatiently waiting for my copy to arrive!
    How would you say this compares to the zucchini butter pasta? Pretty similar taste profiles? Also, do you typically serve this alongside anything else, or just eat as is?

  37. Patrick Bowe

    I pre-ordered the book and it arrived yesterday. I’ve already marked about 30 recipes as ‘must make’ and am only part way through the book!

  38. Cara

    Congratulations!!! Looking forward to reading your new book. This recipe looks great… interesting, simple and delicious. That’s the trifecta for me these days with a 3 year old and a 6 year old

  40. Susie Litman

    I’m so excited for this book! And to meet you (okay, again. Met you at your 92nd Street Y signing years ago and you were so sweet.) And incidentally, a while later at the Y sat next to your mom, who was hilariously kvelling over you while you interviewed Yotam Ottolenghi. You have the sweetest family! Can’t wait to put this book into rotation–I’ve used your site for so many years and no recipe ever disappoints. :)

  41. Ann Brody

    Hi, Ann the RV’er here. Your cookbook arrived 2 days ago. I stopped everything and sat down and bookmarked recipes! You are well known in my house! I have been reading your posts since you started your blog. Please come to Orlando, FL (I will be first on line). Sorry I will miss you at the JCC in Atlanta, GA (where I have been lots of times).

  42. Marti

    Deb! I cannot tell you how excited I was to cuddle up with your new cookbook after it was dropped on my doorstep yesterday evening. I read it cover to cover and cannot wait to make it all.
    It will surely help me pass the time as I wait for my first baby to arrive in the next few weeks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he will emerge from the womb loving your recipes as much as myself and my husband have these last 10 years that I’ve been a huge fan!
    I have already made your bodega-style egg-and-cheese (with a little pork roll of course- being a Jersey girl) this morning and it really hit the spot! Later this week I plan to make your pumpkin snacking cake, green angel hair with garlic butter, and pecorino polenta with garlicky kale.
    Thank you thank you thank you for this book of keepers! I can’t wait to gift this cookbook to everyone I know this holiday season!

  43. Susan

    Congrats, Deb! I’ve already marked so many recipes to try. And I love the notes before each recipe and the great pictures. It really adds value to the book.
    We are having friends over for dinner tonight and making the carrot tarte tatin and the butterscotch apple crumble which I first saw in your pre-order zoom. Can’t wait!

  44. Kirsten

    It is wild this site has been around 17 years, because I think that is about how old I was when I started reading it. This site has been a constant companion from high school to college to first apartment, across four states. Friends still talk about a tomato soup I made from this site when we were all teenagers. I’m glad it’s still around, and I cherish the recipes. So many of them have become my own “keepers” – def excited to check out this third book!

    1. k

      This is so lovely to read. I think I gave my first dinner party for friends around that age as well, and I still derive joy from sharing my food with others. I hope you keep cooking and baking – and sharing it with others – for the rest of your life.

  45. Laura B

    Can’t wait for you to get to Seattle! My friends from the other side of the state and n. Idaho would be soooo excited if you made a stop in the Spokane area … maybe for a future cookbook tour? Auntie’s, an independent bookstore & downtown staple in Spokane, could be a great fit!

  46. Anna

    Loved reading the new book and thinking about what to make… then I realized I miss the comments and community of this space. Any chance we could have some forum/post so that all us SK devotees can chat and advise about the cookbook recipes?

    1. Sara

      After the pre-order zoom, a bunch of folks joined an old smittenkitchen reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/smittenkitchen/). I joined reddit just to be a part of this group. The opportunity to share photos, experiences, ask questions, and be general fans of Deb and all things SK were too good to pass up. Consider joining the conversation there!

  48. JP

    What happened to the carrot thingy that was on the front cover, originally? Were there too many people like me who could not figure out what it was? Best luck on what will certainly be the book sales of the century!

    2. deb

      It’s in the book — a Carrot Tarte Tatin. I love much prefer this cover – it was my first choice all along – and is one of my favorite dishes in the book.

  51. Leslie H

    Has anyone had success with freezing half of the sauce? An entire pound of pasta is too much for my small family, but it doesn’t really make sense to halve the recipe (perfectly portioned for one head of garlic! One package of spinach! Thank you, Deb!). Thanks for any advice!

    1. Maggie Major

      I made this tonight and you may be able to use all the “sauce” in half the pasta. Mine could have used it. Otherwise I don’t think it will freeze well. Or halve everything but the garlic. Find something else to use the other half of the roasted garlic for (like literally anything)!

    2. Anne

      I made the recipe and had too much for just my husband and I so I froze half of it – pasta and all. We just had the leftovers the other day and it thawed and reheated well!

  52. Ruth

    I am at Barnes & Noble (Warren Street). I came to get a copy of Smitten Kitchen Keepers to have for Saturday at Union Square Greenmarket. They don’t have it, they are displaying Smitten Kitchen Every Day. I asked about it at the information desk, and they didn’t know anything about the new book.

    1. deb

      You can buy copies at USG and every single book tour event at the schedule so do not fret. Plus, you’ll be supporting the wonderful Kitchen Arts & Letters if you do.

  53. Leora

    I love to read your blog. My sister is an amazing cook. I live in Israel. She lives in Kansas. Today I spontaneously ordered your book from a bookstore in her town and will send her a note to take herself over to the shop for a coffee and a surprise. Deb, thank you for being the inspiration that connects two sisters who miss each other.

  54. Annette

    Am heartbroken that the Santa Cruz event sold out in a snap! Would you consider a second night? Santa Cruz is beautiful!!

    Or maybe you saved a few tickets for faithful followers??

  57. Maya

    I’m sad I won’t make it to your signing tomorrow even though it’s the first time I live in a town you’re visiting, so I made this and your dream scones to celebrate in spirit. Used frozen spinach, defrosted but not drained, and added half an onion because half the garlic looked weathered. It was all delicious. I’m freezing half the sauce and will post on how that turns out. Congratulations on your third book! I’ve been following you for 15 years and have found all of your recipes to be keepers.

  58. Carrie

    What a joy it was tonight to flip through this book! There’s nothing like it. Thanks for sharing your joy, humor, and cooking wisdom with me.

  59. Cristina

    Congratulations! I preordered a while ago and was pleasantly surprised when my copy arrived yesterday!bi can’t wait to start trying the recipes.

  60. Michelle

    My book came today. I wasn’t going to make anything from it today but I had all of the ingredients for the pumpkin snacking cake, so I made it while dinner veggies roasted. It’s cooling and I’m impatiently waiting to add the glaze. Congrats and looking forward to seeing you in Irvine!

  61. Meg

    When are you coming to Dublin or Cork?! I promise you it will be worth it!
    I hope my husband remembers the hint I sent him for your book for Christmas….otherwise there’ll be an order in on the 26th.

    1. deb

      I would love to. I should start a service for dropping hints to spouses, significant others, children, parents to make sure you all get the books you want. :)

  62. Laura

    My book arrived yesterday! It’s gorgeous, Deb! I’ve got my little square of postit’s ready to bookmark the things I want to try first. Congratulations and thank you!

  63. eileen

    Congrats on the newest book! Always such a pleasure to come to your blog. I have one of your earlier books and look forward to this one. You are the best! Thanks for all you share with us home cooks. :}

  64. CAROLE CROWN

    Arrived yesterday, has the 3 most important things in a cookbook:
    Lies flat when opened
    BOLD ingredient list
    Beautiful photography

    Love it!

  65. Suzan Wachs Katzir

    I’ve been cooking thin spaghetti – nearly angel hair after all – several times a week for the last 4-6 weeks. Stage 4 cancer has left me with barely any energy, so more often than not I’m making uber simple pasta. Do not turn your nose up at thin pasta! It’s a life saver when you have no spoons to work with. It’s fast and filling.

  67. Mimi

    Dear Deb,
    I have your 3rd book before me, and even by page 37, I’ve already found so many recipes I absolutely must try next week!
    This all looks SO good, and sounds so easy to make…. I can’t wait to get cooking and baking :-D
    Bialy babka… breakfast salad with tomatoes and cottage cheese, why did I never think of that? The cheddar biscuits!! Maybe I’ll start with them.
    Hope you’re really proud of this book…. !
    Love, Mimi

  68. Sarah in Vancouver

    Congratulations Deb! like others here, my keepers are already all SK and I can’t wait for MORE! Thank you!
    Walked up to my local independent bookshop on lunch today and bought the last copy they had on the shelf. They said it is selling out fast! Got chatting to the clerk about how amazing you are and how the Party Cake Stacker from book 2 is a life changer.

    See you in Vancouver, BC!

  70. Shannon

    Just bought your book, and it’s absolutely amazing, beautiful and everything looks so delicious 😋!! I’m on the waitlist for MSP, still hoping for a daytime meet/greet to open? Until then, I’ll be waiting fingers crossed, reading my way through this new cozy book!!

  71. Anna

    Wow, wow, wow!
    My picky almost 4 year old LOVED this! She asked for seconds and then ate even more after she finished dessert. I think this is the first time she has eaten a green vegetable in multiple years!
    I also really appreciated how easy it was to prepare and clean up. I’m even more excited to try the recipes in the new book now.
    Thanks for sharing all of these recipes–I’ve become a much more confident and capable cook with your guidance!

  72. Rosie

    Hi Deb! Congrats on the book! I don’t mean to be a downer at all, but I’m super alarmed to see that you are appearing on stage at the 92y, one of extremely few places that has kept its discriminatory vaccine mandate long after it’s clear how irrelevant such mandates have been to public heath. I certainly respect your ability to make your own choices, but I do wish that those with the power to speak up about terrible policies would use their voices.

    1. Mel

      Rosie-
      I too am a huge fan of Deb and SK. And I very much agree with you. To each his own-but to support an organization that puts out this kind message indicates that apparently many fans of SK are not welcome to join. Solely because of a very personal and private decision. Very sad.

    2. RN

      I’m not sure if this is just trolling, but if accurate, there are/were multiple other NYC and Brooklyn events that SK fans were free to attend without this requirement. With exceptions for medical reasons, you get to choose whether to get vaxxed or not, the venue gets to choose to require it, you get to choose a different event. Pretty straightforward. Seems like you’re only interested in *your* freedom of choice and not that of, say, immunocompromised people to go to public spaces where some reasonable precautions are still being taken. And vaccination is NOT irrelevant to public health. Yes, new variants are very effective at eluding our immunity, but vaccines still help slow the spread and save lives, and it’s misleading to suggest otherwise.

      1. Sallie Altman

        Oh I so agree with this. Its easy to forget that there are immune compromised and more fragile people in our midst, who definitely have not chosen illness but need our our courtesy and caring. Especially in the winter months when there are so few outdoor activities and less ventilation. Im not sure vaccines are as important as masking at this time , as far as Covid is concerned. Im not even saying every location or event has to have requirements like this. But there should be some safe places to go for the people who need that, so boycotting a place for having certain requirements for only that reason doesnt make sense or seem fair at all.

    3. Mary

      Rosie. I just have to chime in and say that for people with severe asthma and other underlying health conditions, vaccines and mask mandates can be literal life savers. Please think of others.

  73. Katie

    Could there be an error? Seems like double the pasta there should be. Made as written and it was dry and bland. And almost impossible not to overcook the angelhair in such a massive clump. I would consider making it again with 8 oz spaghetti but I was pretty disappointed.

    1. Sigita Clark

      I had a similar result , a bit dry and seemed like too much pasta. And I used a food processor but next time would use the blender to get a smoother sauce. I used a lot of pasta water. Love the garlic butter method. Smelled amazing. I will try again.

    2. Z

      I had a similar issue with the angel hair. Plus the recipe says “cook for 1-2 minutes less than the box says” which was a head scratcher since my box said cook for 2 minutes total! I ended up just cooking for the full amount and giving up on having the heat on higher than low when combining with the sauce because the angel hair was in danger of frying.

      I did enjoy the sauce and dish in the end, but making it for two I’ve got a lot of leftovers in the fridge. Might add some roasted pepper or cherry tomatoes when I reheat the next servings.

      1. M Brengert

        The same happened to me and I followed the instructions exactly. It was very dry and hard to work with the angel hair. Double the sauce or use half the pasta for a better result. I also think bucatini could work better for this. Having made so many SK recipes with success I was surprised to have one not work to plan.

      2. Molly

        Oy, same issue(s) here. I’m always especially frustrated when a recipe claims to be easy and I find it anything but. (In fairness, this didn’t claim to be easy but that was my impression of it based on the minimal steps and limited ingredients.) My angel hair (De Cecco) also called for 2 mins of cook time, so I just cooked for almost the full amount of time. My Vitamix refused to even consider blending the spinach/warm garlic butter until I added ~3/4 cup of pasta water plus involved the plunging tool (which I hate and rarely use). It eventually got there but then yeah, my angel hair plopped into the pan in one massive clump, splashing green sauce all over my kitchen. It took even more pasta water and a whole lot of stirring in order to incorporate it into the pasta glacier. Ultimately it was delicious and I’ll make it again, probably with thin or reg spaghetti, some lemon zest or splash of sherry vinegar at the end, but I’ll know to expect to add a good amount of liquid to the blender from the very beginning, and also know this isn’t a “few dishes” meal despite its simplicity, at least it wasn’t for me!

    3. Liz

      I think the failure/success rate has to do with the brand of angel hair and how fine it is. I had a perfect result with both thin spaghetti and with a “protein+ angel hair” brand (both had cook times of about 4-6 minutes). With De Cecco, the pasta overwhelmed the sauce–it was so fine that there was just too much surface area to coat and it lumped up quickly. I think you could probably look at the cook times as a metric here for knowing if you need to double the sauce or not. If you’re dealing with superfine angel hair with a cooktime that’s 2 mins or less, you’ll need to up the amount of sauce; if you’re dealing with pasta that’s more like 4 mins or greater, probably it will be perfect as written.

      1. Amy

        I don’t know, I used angel hair that cooks in 4-5 min and also felt like there was just too much pasta for the sauce! My pasta cooked up nice and stayed slippery, but wow, it’s heavy – stirring with my plastic slotted pasta spoon almost broke it! That said, I LOVE the garlic butter technique and would try again with less pasta, and yes, maybe fresh tomatoes! Possibly I also had a little too much spinach – our 5 oz spinach here costs $2 more than the 6 oz bag, so of course I chose the bigger bag, and even though I used some of it a day before, it maybe was too much for the amount of butter.

      2. Molly

        Thanks Liz. I think you’re right about the surface area of the pasta. I hadn’t considered that. I’m still perplexed by the instructions to add 1-2 T of water to the blender to get it going. Maybe there’s something wrong with my vitamix but it won’t blend without a substantial amount of liquid. Curious how Deb and others dealt with this…just use the plunger vigorously?

        1. Elisa

          Hey! So I managed to make it blend in a vitamix with about 1/4 cup of water. It required stopping to stir it up a few times, because it didn’t grab all of the spinach right away. The whole blending process took about 3 min, with the manual mixing. Also I used regular spaghetti and the ratio was good!

  74. Donovan

    Just got our Keepers yesterday and my 8 year-old said that he wanted “to eat the cover” so excited to make this recipe for him (and myself). Loos delicious!

  75. David G Corey

    I just bought this! It looks so good; just like the last two! I can’t wait to get in the kitchen to make them all. Tonight! But honestly, Deb, I would have bought a phone book with that cover and your name on it just. because. it’s. you! Thanks and bon voyage!

  76. Lucy

    I have been dreaming of this pasta ever since I saw the cover for your newest cookbook months ago! We made it tonight and it was SO delicious! Creamy and indulgent and satisfying and so flavorful, yet so easy to make! I’m excited to add it to our repertoire, and try some slight variations (mostly just adding a little more spinach). You never disappoint :)

  77. Rachel

    This delicious pasta tricked my son into eating spinach, yay! Also I live in Bermuda & the book store doesn’t have your book yet, boo!

  78. Wendalette

    How has it been 17 years?!

    I definitely need to get this book and I’m so sad that I can’t even make it to the closest to me book tour stop in D.C. ::le sob::

    I will have to comfort myself with mouthfuls of this emerald comfort noodles.

  79. Camille

    It was a bit challenging to get the sauce as thin and smooth as Deb’s; I was processing and scraping and processing and scraping and after about 7 minutes I wondered if I’d done something wrong…I had more like a chunky chimicurri or gremolata rather than a sauce.

    2. E

      A blender will get it much smoother than a food processor. Deb should clarify that the smooth result in the photo will be achieved only with the former!

  80. Debby N

    Deb, after following you for several years, I feel like I’m watching a friend. So excited to see your piece in Hadassah Magazine, and hear you on NPR this morning. You make us all proud!! Wishing you a fun and fulfilling Thanksgiving and Hannukah :)

  81. Rachel

    Has anyone tried freezing the sauce? I am considering making it a few days ahead so that I have an easy meal on hand when we have guests staying with us over Thanksgiving week.

    2. Colleen

      For anyone curious, the sauce keeps very well in the fridge.. I’ve taken to using it as the garlic butter when making garlic bread and that’s delicious too!

  83. Jenny

    At first taste I felt a little letdown by this recipe…but then we just kept eating and eating!! I think next time I need to blend the spinach mixture a little more and add a little more pasta water to make it saucier- mine felt a bit dry. But again, there’s something sneakily addictive about this! Angel hair is the perfect shape for maximum shoveling. I think this would be a great base for adding all sorts of roasted vegetables- I’m thinking acton squash next time, and also adding toasted walnuts or something for a little crunch. Can’t wait to cook more from this book!

  85. KJ

    My book arrived unexpectedly today, I’m in Australia so thought it would take longer. I was already planning to roast a chicken, so when I opened the book and saw the picture of the slow roasted chicken I knew it was a sign I had to make it. The chicken was great, but the chickeny croutons were divine, thank you Deb!

  86. Preeya

    We had friends for dinner last night and I made a Smitten Kitchen Keepers feast. We started with apple cider old fashions and the honey thyme baked feta as an appetizer. Then for the main dishes, we had the balsamic braised Brussels sprouts from this site and the
    green angel hair with garlic butter and skillet chicken parm from Keepers. We ended with the apple butterscotch crisp. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed each dish. Thanks for this wonderful new cookbook, looking forward to trying more recipes.

  87. Melanie Reynolds

    Made this last night. Loved it. Congratulations on the new book, and thank you for the decade plus I’ve been learning from and enjoying your work.

  89. Amelia

    My book arrived a couple of days ago and I couldn’t be more in love. When the intro said that this book is the best of them all, I got nervous, because I love your other two — was this one going to be so different? But after flipping through I see what you mean. I bookmarked nearly every page. I want to dedicate a whole week to this book. And then many more. I’m in love.

  91. Connie

    I made this tonight, and it was great! Even though there is a stick of butter, it still tastes light. My butter didn’t brown as much as Deb’s picture, but the garlic cloves were nice and soft. I made the sauce in my Vitamix, but I will try the food processor next as I think it will be easier to get all of that good sauce out for the pasta that way. This is a keeper!

        1. K. Walker

          I kept looking here for an answer, decided to include the roasted garlic cloves. End result, it isn’t too garlic forward but I prefer taste of pasta with basil pesto. Cuisinart was a mess to clean, too.

        2. JNH

          Leave them in! The garlic cloves are what make this next level (and for anyone else confused–see the instructions about pouring the garlic butter in with the spinach mix).

          1. Ellen

            What wasn’t clear to me is if the “garlic butter” mentioned in the instructions was garlic & butter or garlic-infused butter :)

            I’m very excited to make this soon now that I am confident about the garlic!

  93. Julie

    I love your new book! Last night I made the turkey meatloaf with the smashed ranch-y potatoes and they were a hit! Thank you so much!

  94. LeAnne

    Such a treat to get the new book in the mail. Made the squash soup with coconut milk, which was delicious (and i’m not a squash soup fan generally because it usually tastes like runny pumpkin pie filling–but this was so good. The baked potatoes stuffed with cauliflower are next on my list to make. Thanks!

  95. Caroline

    Made this last night to much applause!! We like our protein around here so had chicken sausage alongside as well as some slow-roasted tomatoes for a little contrast. Absolutely delicious—will make again and again!

  96. S

    I got this cookbook and have already made three recipes! The cover recipe and the chocolate chip cookies with salted walnut caramel are lifetime keepers for sure! I am excited to cook through more!

  97. Elyse

    I made this last night and it was super simple and so delicious! My husband and I enjoyed it and will add it to our dinner rotation, as I’ve always got angel hair pasta and spinach on hand! As a bonus, it made great leftovers!!

  98. Elly

    Deb, I have followed your blog since before you were married. In our family you are an abbreviation (SK) and a person we refer to like we know you (“Deb says…”). You are steadfastly my favorite food blogger and always can be counted on to inspire, use less dishes and basic ingredients, not have too much clutter, and deliver a great product. This was so good, my kids had thirds. Thanks for your site and great recipes.

  99. Marcie

    Yeesh – don’t put your toaster oven on ‘roast’ for the garlic – even at 375 I ended up with burned garlic which is not delicious. Next time just the bake setting and hoping for deliciousness!. 🙄

  100. Charlotte

    This was super delicious! Followed the recipe closely, but added some lemon juice to the sauce, which made the flavours shine even more.

  101. Elisabeth in Vienna

    This was so good: thank you, Deb!
    Have already ordered the book but who knows when it will arrive here. Can’t. Wait.

  102. Sharon

    I made this, and it was delicious! I will say, my blender had no interest in getting this done…needed to add a good 1/2 cup pasta water to get it really going. But once that happened, it blended into a perfectly smooth sauce. Definitely a keeper!

  103. KateRPCV

    I made this with half butter, half olive oil and used 7oz spinach. It was straight-up delicious! For me, it felt a bit too buttery/oily. Next time (and there WILL be a next time, I’ll experiment with cutting the fats). But ohhh, that roasted garlic flavor!

  104. Liz

    I’m not sure I’ve ever left a comment on a recipe before, but I absolutely have to leave one now. I made this tonight (doubled the recipe) for my family, and I literally don’t think I’ve ever seen my six year olds eat so much. I thought I’d had enough for lunch, but I think my kids are about to start a fight club to get the last bowl.

    Absolutely fantastic meal that was easy to prep and clean. This is going to be a regular meal going forward! I wasn’t planning on ordering the cookbook, but it just went onto my Christmas list, Thanks for sharing!

  105. Desiree

    Made this tonight! I’m long-term traveling for work, currently in a very basic kitchen rental sitch in Budapest and had to sub lots of stuff to make it work–frozen spinach; didn’t have any foil, only parchment; forgot to order the cheese–and it was still a hit! Very delicious. Will definitely double the brown butter sauce when I get to follow the recipe precisely!

  106. Lisa C

    Delicious recipe as always Deb. Long time reader but first time poster. I’m so excited to finally have your book and start cooking through the keepers.

    I blended some tofu into the sauce. Made it thicker and a bit chunkier but helped tocoat the noodles. And extra nutrients! And delicious! With the cheese it was perfect.

  107. L

    Congratulations on the third! book! I’ve followed you for years and honestly always have had success with your recipes. I spent last Sunday reading Keepers cover to cover and I was so inspired. Keep on rocking! We love all that you do!

  108. Jenny

    Before I started, came here to see what people thought about saving half the sauce or halving the recipe. Based on some reports of dryness and someone’s recommendation, I made the sauce as written but halved the pasta. It was delicious!! The pasta wasn’t drowning in sauce, but every strand was well-coated with the addictive sauce. Deb wasn’t lying when she said it goes quick, I immediately went to get more after I finished my plate. Not sure I’d make it differently next time (i.e. full amount of pasta) because I loved it this way!

  111. Megan

    So far on Keepers: The braised beef is the BEST pot roast I’ve ever had. I made it for thanksgiving and my husband asked to make it our own little tradition every year. I also tried the black bean chili, which did not disappoint!
    I really liked your introduction. It set the tone and was good insight into what the book meant to you, the author.
    Looking forward to trying more recipes in the new book. I also finally tackled the pumpkin cheesecake from the first book. Yum and surprisingly easy!
    Thank you Deb for delicious recipes that we all enjoy!

      1. Michelle

        I made the molasses cookies yesterday for a holiday party tonight, and honestly, I don’t want to give them up. So, so good and incredibly easy to make.

  112. Jenevieve

    Made this tonight! I used all olive oil (visiting family is vegan) and subbed gluten free pasta for my husband. It was delicious, and the kids polished off the whole pot! It’s definitely a keeper, though I’ll be happy to use butter next time.

  113. Elsbeth

    Congratulations on the new book! A question: Does the book have metric measurements like the recipes on your site? I live in the Netherlands and I’m so pleased you’re using these online. Love your work, the double chocolate banana bread is a keeper in our household :)

  114. Amanda Gorman

    I have not made this, but I made the turkey meatloaf and crushed potatoes last night! So good! Comfort food without being too heavy.

  115. Aurora Fagan

    Happy Thanksgiving, Deb and family! I wanted to let you know that Thanksgiving was also my birthday, and that my husband gifted me both your first cookbook and SK Keepers (he had preordered it ❤) I already had SK Every Day and loved it so much I began eyeing the others.
    I had plans for Thanksgiving brunch, but I set my other egg ideas aside and made the breakfast potato chips and eggs to go with our biscuits (your recipe) and gravy. Very yummy. I took your chocolate pecan pie, which I’d already auditioned, to Thanksgiving dinner and made my sister very happy.
    This pasta is mighty good also. Subbed gf fettuccine since that’s what I had, and it was still great.
    So, as always, thank you.

  116. Jennifer

    Made half a box of angel hair and the sauce was just right amount. We were not wowed by this recipe. It was edible but not a keeper and not something to make again. Seemed to be lacking something even with some added spices.

    1. Ellen

      Did you include the roasted garlic cloves? There is a thread of people trying to figure out if they should be included when the butter is added to the spinach. If you excluded them, perhaps that’s an indication they’re supposed to be included?

  117. April

    SO GOOD. I think I needed to let the garlic roast a little longer but that was on me for being impatient! I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait to buy the whole book.

  118. Doro

    Congratulations on the new book!
    I had been waiting to see which recipe would be the first one from the new book.
    I made it right away, with a few changes. The most important one was, I used a little pot on the stove and covered the garlic with olive oil. My garlic was ready, soft and squeezable in 25 Minutes. This way I didn’t need to turn on the oven for just a tiny pan to cook garlic in. I live in Europe and we are very aware of saving energy due to the Ukraine war. I also upped the amount of spinach like others have done. It tasted absolutely wonderful thank you, definately a keeper!

      1. Bridgit

        We’ve been making it in the microwave. 1/2 the butter, 3-4 tbsp water, 2 min at half power, 2 min rest, then 2 more at half power. Then I stab it to make sure it’s soft. It works well.

  119. Lauri

    super easy, and a big hit with my family. I increased the spinach to 8 ounces and used a little more pasta water to keep the texture loose. don’t underestimate how much pasta water you will need – if you are making a full pound of pasta, you might need 2 cups depending on how al dente you leave your pasta before mixing with the sauce. Also, I used some of the pasta water to clean out the blender – then added that back into the pan so I didn’t waste any of the sauce.

    I would probably finish with some halved cherry tomatoes next time for a burst of acid – we always do that with pesto, too.

    I’ll be at your Corte Madera signing in January! can’t wait to get my copy of the book then and check out the rest of the recipes.

  120. Charlotte

    Hi Deb!
    I’ve made the garlic butter ahead of dinner tomorrow but conscious it will solidify in the fridge overnight.
    Would you recommend warning it up again tomorrow to melt the butter again before adding it to the spinach?
    Thanks so much!
    Charlotte

  121. Tyler

    We had a giant container of spinach about to go bad in the fridge, so my boyfriend looked on in horror as I jammed almost a full 16 ounces of spinach into my blender along with the butter and garlic. I adjusted and added a bit more salt & pepper, as well as more pasta water to keep things creamy, but ultimately the dish was deemed “not nearly as spinach-y as I was worried it would be” by my dining companion. I think the coating step – where the sauce, noodles, and more pasta water are cooked together – is so critical and might be what’s causing some people to feel that this isn’t enough sauce – think mac n’ cheese sauce clinging to your noodles, not spaghetti sauce pooled on top.

  122. Bentley

    Delightful dinner, roasted garlic is definitely going to be a thing at my house now, used spaghetti rigate because that’s what I had (and adore) and bumped spinach to 8 oz. Eating leftovers for lunch rn and it’s still a fantastic green.

  123. Kristen Meere

    I just heard about this on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour Podcast (November 23). Linda Holmes identified it as the thing that is making her happy this week and sang your praises!

  124. Marcie

    Second round – delicious!! Didn’t burn the garlic this time and the kids gobbled it up. I made them taste with their eyes closed at first and they LOVED it! Definitely a keeper!

  125. Katrina

    My third recipe from the new book…and another ‘keeper’ as Deb would say! However I will say that it required more clean up than either the Molasses Spice Cookies or the delicious Winter Squash Soup with Red Onion Crisp.
    I followed the recipe exactly except for half the quantity of pasta as there are only two of us now. My other half was horrified by the amount of spinach I shoved into the blender but admitted that the end result was delicious. Not sure I’d make any changes next time.
    I highly recommend both the other recipes I’ve tested so far…the soup is outstanding!

  126. Sam

    Made it almost exactly as written (had thin spaghetti instead of angel hair, and parm instead of pecorino). It was freaking delicious. Happily consumed by a one-year-old, a picky four-year-old (it’s green noodles!), a teenager, and adults. Grilled chicken on top for those who wanted it.

    Mmmm… the leftovers are calling me for lunch!

  127. Tara

    I’m confused; a 1/2 cup of butter is 8 ounces, or one stick (not 4 ounces.) Can someone share how much butter is needed for this recipe? Thanks, I want to make this!

    2. Yael

      Perhaps you’re confusing ounces with tablespoons? American sticks of butter are often divided to 8 tablespoon measures, but there are 2 tablespoons to an ounce (a cup is 8oz).

  128. Kris

    I tried this with a mix of spinach and kale (mostly kale) that I had on hand, and I couldn’t taste the roasted garlic at all, which was a huge shame! I wouldn’t recommend adding stronger-tasting greens I liked the bright green hue and the easy way to use up greens, so if I tried it again I might just go with fresh garlic and lemon, and skip the whole roasting step!

  129. jamie

    Saw you at the Darien Library last night, bought the cookbook, made this recipe for dinner tonight, and it was INCREDIBLE!! Both my teen and my tween have asked me to make it weekly and my husband had FOUR servings!! A huge, huge hit!!!

  130. Yael

    Got the book last week, and already made two recipes from it, and planning to make more!

    …And I feel that here is a safe space to admit that as a Can’t Leave Well Enough Alone [TM] kind of recipe-reader, I made neither of them as written. I made the molasses cookies, but with a whole egg instead of just the yolk, because “more crunchy” sounded more like a promise than a threat to me, and also decided on a whim to give them a more middle-eastern twist by using date syrup instead of molasses and a heaping 1.5 tsp of Baharat instead of the cinnamon, cloves and allspice (honestly, I’m not sure I can really taste the difference there, but at least it made a little dent in my giant jar of date syrup); I also made the kale and lentil stew, but with Swiss chard instead of kale since I had a bunch in the fridge that needed using up, and also bumped up the lentils to 200g and threw in, again on a whim, some Calabrian chilies in oil. Both dishes ended up excellent, and, I suspect, fairly close to the original intention, despite straying from the written instructions.
    And if I end up making the oven-braised beef but instead of the suggested rice I end up adding some lentils or soaked beans to cook with it, making more of a full meal that still works for my carb-conscious dad, that still feels in the spirit of the recipe, and indeed of the whole book.
    I love how inspired I get not just your recipes, but by the whole spirit of how you make them and write about them. Which is why, even now in the age of abundant and varied online recipes, I still rush to buy each or your cookbooks, and am always happy to have done so.

    1. Yael

      Update on the braised beef: absolutely delicious, but adding beans was only partly successful – I used a mixture of gigante and pinto beans, and even after an overnight soak and about 5 hours in the oven, some of them weren’t fully soft (especially with the gigantes). Next time, might either use lentils, or add cooked/canned beans at the same stage as the vegetables. Also, might use cubes of stew meat, because they’re easier. So yeah, can’t leave well enough alone, again. – but like I said, the spirit of the recipe is a definite keeper.

      1. Yael

        Second update, just in case anyone was wondering: made it again yesterday, using cubed stew meat, and cooking the beans before adding them (at the same time as the vegetables). It’s excellent, and very easy, and I think I’ll be making it just like this in the future.

  131. emilyadi

    This was delicious. I added some pasta water to help it blend, along with some lemon juice. I may use a little less pasta next time so it will be saucier. I’m think variations on this would be great in the future when my baby starts eating pasta–we’ll call it rainbow pasta night and see how many colors we can make (carrots=orange; purple cauliflower=orange, etc.).

  132. kathryn

    I made this last week and I was blown away, roasting the garlic really takes it to another level! My bag of spinach was 6 oz, so I went ahead and used the whole thing. I used half the amount of pasta (after reading through these comments) and I think it was perfect. It was extra saucy, without being overwhelmingly wet. I do think it tasted best right after I first made it, but I still devoured the leftovers. I cannot wait to make this again and add some shrimp to it!

  133. Sarah

    Can you make the sauce ahead, keep it in a sealed container to use later in the day or is this a make right before eating sauce?

  135. Anne

    I noticed the ingredient list says 1/2 cup butter (4 oz) – but 4 oz is a quarter cup. I made the mistake and used that amount. Recipe is still delicious, but may want to fix that for those of us who don’t read too carefully!

    1. LeAnne

      Perhaps you are confusing cups, ounces, and tablespoons?
      One stick of butter is 4 ounces or 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons… 2 Tbsps = 1 ounce. 4 sticks make a pound of butter (4 sticks x 4 ounces = 16 oz or 1 pound)…
      8 ounces = 1 cup. Hope this helps…

    2. deb

      4 ounces is a weight — it will be 1/4 cup of some ingredients, not others. 1/2 cup of butter weigh 4 ounces (it should be clear on the box of butter, too).

  136. Caterina

    Keepers is definitely a keeper! Have made the devil’s food cake with salted milk chocolate frosting (that was divine), the chicken with chorizo, rice and tomatoes (easy and delicious) and the lemon chicken wings (amazing). Seriously, go out and get this book if you haven’t already. Deb, I love your other books but this is my favorite :)

  137. Sarah

    I made this tonight! Okay technically I made the garlic butter yesterday, but I made the rest today. It’s very tasty! And aside from the time to roast the garlic, very fast! I think this will be in the regular rotation. It’s so pleasingly, aggressively green coloured! I used spaghettini. This is a keeper ;)

  139. Ali B

    This is so good!! Veggie adverse husband ate two bowls. Picky eater approved! Thank you Deb! Love this and I cannot believe the beautiful color that the noodles become. I did a full 6 oz of spinach to up the veg and Jovial GF spaghetti and it was perfect. No changes needed. I could have easily snuck in more greens. :) This will join your delightful zucchini pasta for a nice vegetarian break during the weekdays! I cannot wait to see you in CA for your book tour! Thank you for coming down to Orange County! xx

  140. Laura

    This is soooooooooo good. Made it as written with a bit more spinach because I had it. Used peeled garlic cloves because I had a bag in the fridge. Completely and lusciously delicious, and really easy. Used a whole pound of spaghetti and there was plenty of sauce (with the whole cup of pasta liquid added when cooking in final step). Would not change a thing.
    I’m cooking my way through the new book — between this one and the braised beef with harissa (including the rice addition), I’ve got two new recipes that will be in regular rotation. Thank you!

  141. Bentley

    I realize this is the angel hair post but as I just need to let you know Deb – I hold you personally responsible for my walnut brittle habit. Walnuts don’t make an appearance in my kitchen very often because meh (until now!) but whoa this stuff is flat dangerous. Good thing I made a 1.5 of the brittle because I ate at least 1/3 of it before I got the cookies put together yikes

  143. Babu singh’s thakur pedha

    A delicious protein-rich Dharwad pedha is Babusingh’s Thakur Pedha in Karnataka. It is prepared in the kitchen of the best-known company in the country. We have been making the famed Pedha in Karnataka since 1846. You still haven’t tasted milk’s genuine flavour if you haven’t had the Thakur pedha. https://babusinghsthakurpedha.com/step-by-step-procedure-to-prepare-world-famous-dharwad-pedha-history-of-babu-singhs-thakur-pedha/

  144. Beth

    I could use some advice. While the garlic and butter (covered tightly with foil) were cooking in the oven, smoke filled the entire space and house. Did the butter vaporize in the oven due to the metal pan I used? Should I have used a ceramic baking dish? I didn’t have a small ceramic dish, so I used a metal pan. Regardless, I made adjustments and the dish was still delicious! Would like to figure out what I did wrong. Thank you for all your work! See you in Minneapolis in Jan ‘23!

    1. Julia in RI

      Did the garlic-butter mixture seem burnt at all when you uncovered it? Tombe honest, when I roast garlic I use a lower temperature (more like 325) and find it’s done in a shorter time as well (maybe 20 minutes?) so it wouldn’t surprise me if in some ovens the time/temp given made some smoke. About the ceramic/metal—ceramic holds heat better than metal, so generally recipes say to reduce temperature if using ceramic or glass. So that makes me think your using metal isn’t the problem here. But if yoour oven is like mine, I would try lower temp and check after 20 minutes to see how things are going. Looking forward to hearing Deb’s advice!

      1. Beth

        Thank you Julia for your insights.
        Upon uncovering, the garlic was not burnt, but very little butter was left in the pan, thus the theory that it vaporized. I’ll have to do some research on it before trying it again since it was quite a mess to clean up in the oven!

    2. Nicole

      I had this exact question because the smoking point for butter is far below 375 (more like 300 according to google). I haven’t made the recipe yet and am wary of it because of this– did other’s homes/ovens become very smoky with this process?

  145. Sarah

    Very tasty! I will say that the garlic is very important to the success of this recipe, I used a very healthy head of garlic and rhe recipe was good, I might use 2 heads of the wimpier stuff you sometimes find in 3 packs etc

  146. Alina

    Especially when it gets colder outside, I feel the need to eat something innovative. This recipe is great and I’ll try to prepare it at home. Thanks for sharing this innovative recipe.

  148. Mindy

    Hello! I bought your Keepers book and already made the Date Oatmeal Shortbread with orange zest. I brought them to the office today and they’re a huge hit! I am planning to add them to my annual cookie extravaganza in 2023 (I already did the 2022 extravaganza last week). Thanks for the recipe!

  150. JP

    I made the molasses cookies in Smitten Kitchen Keepers last night. They turned out very yummy but my experience was a little different than you described. The dough was quite soft, but still able to be rolled in balls. The baking time (I baked 11 minutes, but maybe should have baked a minute less). They looked baked and never seemed too raw. They did spread some on the sheet. Mainly what I want to ask is if the butter measurement is accurate? When I weighed the butter to 170 grams, it was closer to 14 tablespoons then 12. It did not seem to affect the cookies (unless that is why they spread more), but I would usually just use a stick and a half of butter to equal 3/4 cup. In this case I did have the scale out and so I used the 170 grams. Please advise.
    Thanks and happy travels and holiday cheer!

  151. Thea

    Just got this as a Christmas present from my sister – can’t wait to start cooking! Now I have the complete smitten kitchen collection :)

  152. flitcraft

    I finally made this and it is indeed a keeper. I made the sauce in the food processor with 6 ounces of spinach, which is what I had, and unfortunately didn’t roast the garlic quite enough–next time I will! For two old folks I only used a quarter box of angel hair and about half the sauce plus plenty of pasta water. I think next time I will wait to drop the pasta into the boiling water till everything else is completely done, then transfer it dripping into a skillet with the sauce. Yeah, an extra pan to clean but easier to keep the pasta from clumping, I think. The leftover sauce I used with a drained can of cannellini beans, a chopped roma tomato, a handful of shrimp, and some cooked penne. That sauce is the sauce that will launch a thousand dinners!

  153. Elly

    Oh, I am enjoying Keepers already! I’ve been reading SK for 12+ years and received it as a Christmas gift this weekend. My husband kept peeking over my shoulder as I was reading it in bed last night. We are big fans of the strawberry summer cake, so are longing for the stack cake when it’s really more jacket potato with cauliflower cheese weather. Both will be wonderful, I’m sure.

  154. Naomi

    Dear Deb,

    Happy Chanukah and congratulations on Keepers!

    When Every Day came out, Lovely Husband and Dear Friend and I went to one of your signing events. We’ve been cooking from your first two books regularly and joyfully, so it was easy to know that each of those excellent people needed a copy of Keepers.

    Dear Friend came over this weekend, bringing gifts. She and I each handed the other a wrapped package. They were similarly (well, identically) shaped, hardcover-y-feeling packages. Without even unwrapping them, we started laughing. She had predicted, and I was realizing, that an exact swap was taking place. Now we’ll be cooking from all three of your books, with an added serving of smiles and laughter each time Keepers comes off the shelf.

    Thank you, Deb! Here’s to your health and joy through the holidays and the year ahead!

  155. Y

    For anyone who’s not making 1lb of pasta at a time (hello fellow grad students who live alone), this sauce freezes really well and thaws fairly quickly! I found that if I pull the sauce out from the freezer when I put my water on to boil, it’s thawed enough that I can scoop some out into a separate bowl before my noodles are done cooking (tbh i did not use angel hair), and then I can throw in a few tablespoons of pasta water to help speed up the process and make it saucy so I can mix in the noodles when they’re done.
    I also made this sauce in a magic bullet! You just have to add the spinach in bunches, rather than all at once.

  156. Sonya

    The smell of the roasting garlic makes this recipe worth it. The end product, unfortunately, was dry and flavorless. A squeezed lemon on top helped immensely, but next time I’ll use less finicky spaghetti, more lemon/lemon zest, and some chopped sundried tomatoes.

  158. Vanessa

    This sauce is delicious! made with 5 oz arugula and 3 oz baby kale. Added the juice of half a lemon (excellent idea), but otherwise, I think the commenters complaining of blandness are probably just not seasoning their food properly.

    However, after so many comments complaining of dryness, I made it with 8 oz spaghetti and it was too much sauce. Not like I didn’t eat and enjoy it (i did, with spoon to get the last bit from the bowl), but definitely an amount of sauce that would, say, get you laughed out of Italy. My hunch is that Deb’s recipe was right as written. Although I did use whole wheat spaghetti, which absorbs less sauce than regular.

  159. Jessica Gonzalez

    My kids ate spinach! Thank you! We did like it better with a little squeeze of lemon on top – probably because my kids wouldn’t touch red pepper flakes. But I think the acidity added a balance to the richness of the butter.

  160. Jessica

    You may not believe this, but I had no pasta, and I had two spaghetti squash from my farm share, so I put this sauce on roasted spaghetti squash. I was delicious and I would absolutely do it again.

  166. Kimberly

    This was a hit! I used a bunch of regular spinach that I blanched in the pasta water before adding it to the blender with the garlic butter. I made the garlic butter on a tiny sheet tray wrapped in foil in the toaster oven – works great but you do need to be careful not to tip the tray and spill the butter after it bakes.

  167. Pelin

    Deb! This is so good, so soul-satisfying, so easy! Thank you! I made it with less than the pasta amount recommended (maybe 300gr) and the sauce was plentiful.

  168. Victoria Carr

    The pound cake recipe IS worth the price of the book alone. It is the best cake I have ever eaten, let alone made. It is truly delicious, out of this world, a dangerous thing to have hanging around a house with only two people to eat it. I followed the directions EXACTLY and even stopped when the flour was just mixed in even though, to me, it seemed a little lumpy. But you said stop, so I did. It even looked exactly like the picture. The only thing was in my very well insulated Wolf oven, it was perfectly done in an hour and five minutes. It IS a keeper around here, and I know the book it came from will have more delicious recipes inside. Thank you, Deb. Happy New Year. PS – great present with a 1-1/2 pound loaf pan.

  169. Jessica

    Another home-run recipe! Even though I didn’t do the garlic quite right (cut it the wrong direction and thus the roasting took longer than expected, but the garlic basically dissolved into the butter), it was DELICIOUS. We are (slowly) working our way through the new cookbook and we are 2 for 2. Thank you!

  170. Jenevieve

    I made this and it was amazing!! We did half the batch with GF pasta for my spouse.

    Also, funny story: my BFF and I live 3k miles apart. For the holidays, I sent her a signed copy of SKK. When I opened my package from her, it was… a signed copy of SKK! Hahaha great minds and all that.

  171. leanne

    This was so good! I made it with an 8oz bag of baby spinach & regular spaghetti (was what I had). We all loved it, the kids too – no leftovers. I don’t usually comment but I just got the new cookbook and I have so many recipes earmarked. I love your blog and so many of your recipes are things I make for my family over & over going back a decade – and this new book looks like exactly what I hoped it would be. Thank you for your specific instructions, notes & measurements (and weights!), I really appreciate it.

  172. Debbie

    My child ate spinach. It’s a miracle! The only green vegetable he has been willing to tolerate for the past three years is green beans. Green Angle Hair with Garlic Butter has more than earned its place in the dinner rotation. What a great start to the new year!

  173. Wendy Rhodes

    This is amazing. I added a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg which was “chefs kiss”. Also, could not stop dipping baguette in the extra roasted garlic butter I made….how did we forget how delicious this was?!?!

  174. Jen

    I made it, but it didn’t wow me. I think it needs more zest and spice. I doctored it a bit, and I’m not sure I’d make it again.

  175. The Recipe Hoarder

    Oh wow, I love the taste and the look of these! So green, yay! Prepared this yesterday for the entire family and both my husband and my kids, as skeptical and hard to impress as they can be in the kitchen, really enjoyed it. I bumped up the greens as you mentioned and made sure to add enough extra seasoning.

  176. Jessica

    Made both this and the lentil kale stew this week since getting the cookbook – absolute bangers, both of them. Can’t wait to cook my way through!!

  177. Jen

    I got the cookbook for Christmas and made my first recipe out of it last night (the tofu with crunchy rice and slaw if you were wondering) and managed to get my first stains on it already! I think Deb would be proud.

  178. Monica

    Even though I love angel hair, agreed that a different pasta would work better – more less surface area might equal more sauce per noodle. Also, if you’re using angel hair I would suggest making the sauce, putting in the pan, and then boiling the pasta and using tongs to pull the pasta out and put it directly into the sauce. That way you don’t let the angel hair sit and become a clump, and you get some pasta water in the mix.

    Also curious how it turns out if you add all 8 oz of spinach.. would the garlic flavor get muted?

  180. Cara

    Great recipe! Thank you Deb!!!! We’re calling this leprechaun pasta for the 3 and 6 year old. I made the garlic butter ahead of time, then reheated it before blending with spinach.

    1. Andrea

      My 3 year old calls it “Green Face Pasta” because of how he and the 1 year old look after they eat it. It is very popular and requested by name.

  184. Janie

    We’ve made this several times and my small kiddos love it. One great hack I discovered last time: after pouring the sauce out of the blender, throw about 1/3 cup of hot pasta water into the blender. Blitz a couple of times and unstick all the last bits of sauce from the blender then pour into the pasta. It is a better method for releasing all the trapped sauce AND it speeds up cleanup!

  185. Kate Fox

    My daughter and I made the turkey meatloaf and potatoes last night and both were big hits! Loved the pairing of the two. The only thing I’ll change next time is to maybe use even more glaze because it is so delicious:)

  186. Susan Grimbly

    Just wondering if you have any tips for easily halving a recipe. there are just two old fogies in this house, and we don’t eat that much (not even leftovers). some sites will automatically change the recipe for you.
    thanks, LOVE your work. been following you with great interest for quite awhile now!

  187. Amy R

    Hi – I made this exactly as described except I used frozen spinach (that I cooked first). It was delicious but it wasn’t green like in the picture and the spinach didn’t want to mix with the pasta. Should I not have used frozen? Thanks!

  188. Cindy B

    I’ve made this three times. Blame my fractured attention span, but I keep coming back to check the quantities! I use gluten free spaghetti and never get my sauce as smoothly blended as the photos, but no matter. This is beyond delicious and so easy! Thank you.

  189. Liz

    Made this last night. My one variation on the recipe was to blanch the raw spinach in the salted pasta water before adding it to the blender, which I think made it easier to blend and reduced the amount of pasta water I added at the end. I also added a grind or two of fresh nutmeg into the spinach (a trick from my Italian MIL; it enhances the nuttiness of the butter and brings out the spinach flavor nicely). Topped with some artichoke hearts I’d sautéd with some garlic for extra bulk and veg. Great!

  190. Kayla

    Made this tonight and my 4 year old and 18 month old couldn’t get enough. There was pasta everywhere and their faces and hands were dyed green so we might be calling this “dino pasta” from here on out. I was barely able to shove all the spinach into my Nutribullet but I think it was worth it because the sauce came out perfect and only needed 2 tablespoons of pasta water–I think using a more compact device helped. I used Trader Joe’s Angel hair pasta and cooked it for 2 minutes. Can’t wait to get the new book!

  191. Una

    I made this tonight using chard instead of spinach and fusilli (fried egg on top) and it was divine — the sauce adhered beautifully to the pasta. It’s going into my file of regularly rotating recipes for sure — thanks for the inspiration!

  192. Amulya

    Hi – I bought the cookbook and am excited for all the new recipes! If I want to make this for a dinner party, what would you suggest as reheating instructions/best way to make it ahead of time (morning of, or night before)?

    Thank you!

  193. Chelsea

    After reading many comments, this is how I managed a very easy preparation of this delicious pasta:
    – Used a tiny baking dish to roast the garlic butter a bit ahead of time, so I could squeeze out the cloves and not feel rushed
    – waited for the water to boil, added pasta
    – used the Ninja blender (it’s got three levels of blades) to make quick work of a bag of spinach plus butter and garlic, salt & peppers
    – added Barilla classics Angel hair (al dente 4-5 minutes) to water
    – after a minute, pulled out my cup of pasta water, added 2 T to blender
    – transferred sauce to large (12 inch) skillet, low heat
    – used tongs to transfer cooked pasta to pan; no colander used
    – I probably used 80% of the pasta, only until I liked the ratio of pasta to sauce
    – served as suggested with more pepper and cheese! My 14-year old marveled at the color and ate two huge servings!
    It’ll be a keeper for when my garlic-averse husband is on business trips like he is this week!

  194. Marc J

    My six year old son and I loved this recipe! I used half the butter and twice the spinach and it was still plenty rich and delicious in my opinion! It did not taste excessively “green” to me.

  195. Molly

    Rave reviews from the entire family. We have made it several times with half butter, half olive oil, and my 3-year old asks regularly now if we’re going to have “green pasketti” for dinner. I found 1 lb of pasta to be too much for the amount of sauce, so I start with 1/2 and add more pasta until the ratio looks right. Also, it’s easy to roast the garlic on the weekend, pop the entire dish in the fridge, and then warm it up in the microwave and proceed with the recipe on a weekday. Thanks for yet another winner!

  197. Cristina

    Hello! Has anyone tried peeling the garlic cloves and chopping off the firm end before roasting? Seems that it would be easier to dump the baked contents into the food processor?

    1. Meredith

      I did as my heads of garlic just collapsed. It was fine. I just stuck them cut side down on the butter. I also though increased the amount of garlic as I like it a bit more garlicky ( also I had to use these garlic heads up so .. it was use it or lose it).

      I roasted the garlic and butter, let it cool a titch and removed the outer casing, then just added to the spinach ( which I chopped finely to make it easier to blend). Mine didn’t come out as smoothly as hers but it still tasted divine.

  198. amaio

    The Midwest held a hidden treasure – both angel hair and thin spaghetti. While angel hair shone like a star, thin spaghetti remained a wallflower, waiting to be noticed. It finally emerged from obscurity like a butterfly from its cocoon, revealing its unique texture and versatility to pasta lovers everywhere.

  199. bitlife

    Green angel hair with garlic butter is a simple pasta dish made with thin angel hair pasta, garlic, butter, and parsley. To make it, cook the pasta according to the package instructions and reserve a cup of pasta water. In a separate pan, melt butter and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add some of the pasta water to the garlic butter mixture and toss in the cooked pasta and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

  203. Michelle

    Love your book – especially Grandmother’s Angry Pizza recipe! I need to eat GF, and I was easily able to modify your dough recipe to be GF. It’s delicious. That recipe alone was worth the price of the cookbook. Now I keep pizza dough in the fridge for a quick dinner. Perfect!

  204. AB

    This dish is such a hit, I’ve made it three times and it’s stunningly easy. I am plant-based, so I used Earth Balance’s vegan buttery sticks with no issues. I also think you can be pretty liberal with the spinach, I added way more the second two times but didn’t really measure it. The sauce freezes pretty well in soup cubes, and I’ve just microwaved it with pasta, it retains the flavor and consistency.

  206. Cara

    At your book talk you said your kids love this, so I tried it. My kids are maniacs for this recipe. We all love it so much!

      2. Li Li

        Just wanted to say I made this with peeled garlic in smaller dish. The cloves were submerged in butter and it came out delicious!! My kids asked for seconds. Will be making this again!! So delicious and simple. Thank you!!

    2. Liz

      I made this with garlic that was already peeled. It worked out pretty well, I just watched the dish really carefully so I didn’t burn the garlic. It wasn’t “submerged” but it was in the butter enough.

      1. Ali

        Thank you so much for the clarification! Reading this again (seems different?), it seems like if we don’t peel the cloves from the beginning, we peel them (or squeeze them out) before they go into the butter!

  208. Layne Cassidy

    We actually love angel hair in our house, and since I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more “green” to everyone’s diet, this is right up my alley! Should’ve made this for St. Patrick’s day! Lol

  209. Liz

    This recipe was phenomenal. BUT! Don’t burn the garlic! I made a mistake and left the garlic in for an hour. Ruined. Had to start over but totally worth the effort.

  210. Donna Murphy

    I must’ve done something wrong, maybe left the garlic in oven too long? IDK, bc My end result was so garlicky we could barely get through the serving. I tossed the rest, which I never do. To do again I’d halve the garlic amount, use less pasta … and maybe try a rigatoni noodle. I’m a Team Deb Fangirl, this was a first, so I’m figuring this was a user error as there are so many fans of this recipe, and it’s on the cover! To be continued….

  211. Kelly

    Another keeper! Sautéed my spinach before adding to blender and used 2Tbs olive oil and 2Tbs melted butter and sauce came out lovely in ratio to recommended pasta. I do love the delicate nature of angel hair shape. Thanks again Deb!

  212. Laura

    i didn’t have spinach but i had half a plastic clamshell of Organic Girl protein greens (a mix of sweet pea leaves, baby spinach, baby bok choy leaves, baby kale, and Mizuna) that was a a day or two from pitching. Tastes great! This will be my go to for ANY mix of greens so i don’t waste it. i may even mix it w a little mayo to make potato salad dressing! thanks Deb!

  213. Katie

    This was great! I had 12oz of whole wheat Angel hair and loved it with this sauce (made full amount of sauce, went a little lighter on salt).
    Thought I’d let folks know who were curious that I loved the whole wheat pasta with this – it keeps its body well and the flavor worked w the sauce nicely :).

  214. Marrry

    Yum, easy and delicious. I had none of the problems that some people posted about. Sauce blended up beautifully without any added pasta water. I did use a splash of water when I was finishing it in the pan. I also used only about 6 oz. of pasta. I was going to add fresh basil I had on hand, but I forgot. Thanks Deb!

  216. Dawn Kivela

    Love the book, congrats! I’ve made both your green Angel hair ( spinach) pasta and the creamy zucchini pasta, both are on rotation in our house, we love both. I was thinking, you know how the spinach artichoke marriage has been so tasty. I personally love artichokes. If I would adapt a second version of your spinach pasta would you suggest blending some artichokes to a purée or have the artichokes chopped and incorporated as a textural difference. I do like Angel hair but I’m suspecting that a spaghetti or linguini would work better with chopped artichokes. Finally would you bother adding a touch of cream cheese at the end. I’ll try this but curious about your ideas.

  217. Kelsey

    For those who remarked that the end result was a bit bland for their tastes, what would you think about adding a couple of anchovies (along with some lemon juice/zest) to the spinach before blending? Would the flavors meld? I’m dying to make this recipe and for some reason am called to add some anchovy.

  218. Tiffany

    I have the book and this was the recipe I was most excited to make. I’ve made it several times and love it every time! The roasted garlic is a step not to skip, I love the taste in the sauce!

  219. Melissa H

    I don’t know who needs to know this but if you put two olive rings on a dollop of green pasta it becomes spooky monster pasta.

  221. Jan

    Why did you use the title “Fall Pastas” when it would have been SO much more inviting if you had called it
    “Autumn Pastas” or Autumnal Pastas. Please consider using Autumn whenever you can to replace “Fall” – it’s so much more beguiling…

  224. Lindsey

    Loved this fresh and froze half for another time. Well, the frozen portion turned quite bitter! So weird – looking through the comments it doesn’t seem like others who froze it had that problem. Anyone have an idea of what could have happened? Maybe I’m watching too much Lessons in Chemistry but I am thinking maybe it’s some kind of reaction?

  226. Kristine

    Superb! So flavorful considering it’s so simple. I could probably eat the sauce with a spoon but settled for thin spaghetti, which everyone loved :)