Butter Don’t Text Him Back Noodles
On Demps’ weeknight pasta — the kind that measures itself.
By Brittany Hartwell, co-founder of Molly Green, in conversation with Katie Demps
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Demps is a posts-her-food kind of girl. Not in a food-blogger way — in a this-is-what-I-made-and-it-has-a-name way. Her recipes come with titles the way her songs do: emotionally specific, a little funny, a little too real. “Butter Don’t Text Him Back Noodles” is exactly what it sounds like. Rich and buttery and uncomplicated. The kind of meal that doesn’t ask anything of you except a hot pan and the confidence to stop measuring.
She shared it with us at the kitchen counter on shoot day, between outfit changes. Ingredients listed. Method, casual. Seasonings: measure with your heart. The name spoke for itself.
This pasta sits somewhere between a weeknight reset and a quiet act of self-respect. It’s simple enough to make when you’re tired. Good enough that you don’t want to share it. We asked her to walk us through it. We’ll let her take it from here.
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Q: First — the name. “Butter Don’t Text Him Back Noodles” is one of the great recipe titles of our time. Where did it come from?
This one’s for her girls.
I made it up. If you follow me, you know I have the most horrible taste in men. So I love to encourage my mamas and my girls — like, if you’re thinking about texting him, you better not. Let’s make some pasta to feed that soul before you do.
Q: We noticed you always tell people to measure the seasonings with your heart. When you’re cooking, are you tasting as you go — or just dumping and hoping?
She gave us the rhythm of how she actually cooks.
I’m tasting. Every four seasonings or so, I taste it. Bump it up a little. Add more salt if you’re thinking about texting him.
Q: Was this passed down? Did the women in your family teach you to cook?
This is where she got soft. She lit up talking about her Nana.
My Nana taught me how to cook. We lived in a trailer behind her house, so I’d just walk over and play in the kitchen with her — making pancakes. Watching her butter everything. Meatloaf with a piece of butter on top. Sloppy Joes with a slice of bread and butter on the side. That was my whole childhood.
I just took a piece of it with me. It’s almost like a therapy outlet. If I’m sad or going through something, I’ll go straighten my kitchen and make a peach cobbler. Or strawberry. Or just have fun with it.
Cooking is almost just like dressing yourself — have fun with it. People act like it’s so hard. You can’t fuck it up. Just add more seasoning.
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The Recipe
As told by Demps, between outfit changes. Adapted lightly for The MG Edit.
Ingredients
- A stick of butter (or half a stick — your call. Any kind, even margarine if that’s what you have)
- A handful of fresh spinach (or two — don’t get stingy, it shrinks)
- A splash of heavy cream — measure with your heart
- Salt, pepper, paprika — to taste
- Bowtie noodles (or whatever shape you love)
- A scoop of starchy pasta water, set aside before you drain
- Protein of choice — steak, chicken, whatever sounds good
Method
- Get a pot of well-salted water boiling. Cook the bowtie noodles to just under al dente — they’ll finish in the sauce. Before you drain, scoop out a little pasta water. That’s your secret weapon.
- In a wide pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Let it foam and settle — don’t rush it.
- Toss in your spinach — a generous handful or two. Stir as it wilts down into the butter. Don’t get stingy on the spinach — it shrinks.
- Splash in the heavy cream — measure with your heart. Let it simmer down until the sauce is glossy and saucy enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Season with salt, pepper, and a little paprika. Taste. Adjust. Add more salt if you’re thinking about texting him.
- Splash a little pasta water into the sauce, then toss in the cooked noodles. Stir until every bowtie is glossy and coated.
- Lay your protein over the top — steak, chicken, whatever you’ve got. Eat immediately.
Don’t text him back.
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“Cooking is almost just like dressing yourself. Have fun with it. You can’t fuck it up — just add more seasoning.”
— Demps
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This is what Demps looks like at home — in a kitchen, on a weeknight, making something good and naming it something true. We’ve always known she had taste. Turns out she can cook, too.
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By Brittany Hartwell, co-founder of Molly Green, in conversation with Katie Demps