My Favorite Spice to Make Buttered Pasta Taste Absurdly Delicious
We recently announced The Kitchn Keepers, a downloadable PDF filled with 13 recipes you’ll make forever. So of course I printed it out and hung it up next to the mini white board on my fridge. On said whiteboard is where, each week, I attempt to make a meal plan, and each week, I start out strong then totally give up and go rogue. Last Thursday, when I was tired, grumpy, and totally uninspired, I flipped through The Kitchn Keepers and decided to make one-pan Tuscan chicken. The sauce is so outrageously good, my 2-year-old was eating it straight with her fork. Tonight’s last-minute dinner, that will require no trip to the store, is brown butter za’atar pasta.
Get the recipe: Brown Butter Za’atar Pasta
What Makes This Pasta So Good
Yes, it’s buttered pasta, but really it’s so much more. For one, instead of melting the butter, you brown it to make it nutty and straight-up luxe. Pair that with za’atar seasoning, Parmesan, and lemon juice, and you have the most zesty, flavorful, ridiculously delicious sauce that comes together in minutes.
If you don’t already have za’atar in your pantry, it’s time to get some! The herby, nutty Middle Eastern spice blend is an easy way to upgrade things that are super basic. (More proof? Our four-ingredient za’atar chicken thighs.)
What Else You’ll Find in The Kitchn Keepers
So far, I’ve relied on The Kitchn Keepers most for weeknight dinners, when I’m in a rut and need inspiration for something delicious that I know will hit. But it goes way beyond that. It also has the most “buttery soft” chocolate chip cookies of your life (which will save you from doom-scrolling through thousands of cookie recipes), a chocolate cake that all your friends will demand for their birthdays, a cocktail that will become your new happy hour drink of choice, and more. They’re exactly what the name implies: “Keepers” that you’ll keep going back to.
Get the recipe: Brown Butter Za’atar Pasta
Meet The Kitchn Keepers: 13 Recipes That You’ll Make Forever
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