We recently came across an interesting recipe that checks off lots of boxes for us: pasta, spicy, cheesy, and little bit of green that lets us pretend it’s healthy. Lol. We counted the calories and this very rich dish runs about 900+ calories per serving. It’s a good thing we hike a lot, so it didn’t make us feel too guilty. But if we ate like this every day…

We’ve tried store-bought chile crisp before, and we were underwhelmed. It was too oily and too crunchy for our taste. So instead, we looked online for some homemade chile crisp that we could try to make ourselves. Some were rather complicated, calling for lots of spices we don’t usually carry in our van, but they all had some basic ingredients in common that we do have on hand: red pepper flakes, sesame seed, and Szechuan peppercorns we happen to have picked up in Chicago.

In the end, this turned out to be a really simple meal that tastes as rich and flavorful as anything you’d get at a restaurant. And, if you make a large batch of chile crisp ahead of time, the actual meal comes together really quickly.

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ¾ pound fettuccine
• 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan

For the chile crisp:

• ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• ½ cup minced onion
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 tsp seasalt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns

Preparation:

To make the chile crisp, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they start to brown and get smoky. Remove to a bowl and let cool; they will give up more of their moisture here. Using an empty pepper grinder (it’s okay if a few black peppercorns are still there), add the sesame seed, red pepper flakes, Szechuan peppercorns and grind into a small bowl or Talenti container. Add the olive oil, sesame oil, sugar, and half the salt. Set aside for a few hours to let the flavors seep into the oil. (Double or triple the amounts and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.)

When you’re ready to eat, bring salted water for the pasta to boil in a large pot. While that’s heating, melt the butter in a frying pan with a lid, then add the onion. Sauté on medium heat until the onion starts to brown and get crispy on the edges. Add the chili crisp and heavy cream, stirring until evenly blended. Keep this on a low heat, keeping it steaming and very gently bubbling. Taste and add the remaining salt as needed.

Cook the fettuccine until al dente according to the package directions. Use tongs to transfer the noodles to the chile crisp and cream mixture, reserving the pasta water. Add the spinach and turn with tongs until the spinach is wilted and the noodles are well coated. Add the Parmesan and toss, still over low heat, until the noodles are slick with the thick, creamy and spicy sauce. Add pasta water as needed to keep the sauce slick and loose. Serve immediately.