Simple Pasta: Pasta Made Easy; Life Made Better

Williams’s cooking is rooted in her family, and that is evident in her new cookbook (after Simple Cake). Her relaxed attitude and humor are clearly born from someone who is used to making dinner happen regardless of time, kids, obligations, or even the pandemic. She opens with the basics of making homemade pasta and sauces and all of the tips and techniques that help home cooks do so. The remaining recipes are organized by season and contain many dishes to fill the table, including noodles with seasonal ingredients, roasts, grills, drinks, and desserts. Before readers get overwhelmed, Williams is there to encourage them to come as they are, if that means using dried pasta, doctoring up a jarred sauce, or making a homemade Sunday dinner worthy of a nonna, she invites all to join her in the kitchen. Best of all the outcomes are delectable and mirror the food photography. Narratives include a variety of stories and wisdom that are amusing and informative. Williams even includes a love letter to pasta, which is hilarious and also indicative of why this cookbook will fly off library shelves.