Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of October 11, 2026

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This week at The Sunday Paper, we’re sharing a new book, podcast, and show that we believe will add inspiration to your days. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations.

What We’re Watching

Who says the fun ends at 50? Alex, played by Sharon Horgan, is ready for love and a little mischief, if only her family would give her a minute. Her parents need her, her son’s grand departure for university lasts about a week, and her own life keeps getting bumped to the bottom of the list. Horgan wrote the series herself, so every messy, mortifying moment feels like she experienced it. Youth airs Sundays on HBO and streams on HBO Max.

What We’re Reading

Halloween season calls for a book that leaves you checking over your shoulder. In Freida McFadden’s latest novel The Witch, you will get just that. Julia Barlow is out of a job and out of options, so she retreats to her family’s centuries-old Massachusetts estate. There, the grandfather clock stops at the same minute every night and a voice cries out beyond her bedroom door. The house’s history leads back to the 1692 witch trials, and the more Julia uncovers, the less her family’s version of events holds up. Pick up The Witch for a spooky-season thriller.

Shop on Bookshop & Support local book stores Shop on Amazon Shop the Audiobook Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and Marin Ireland

What We’re Listening To

Some of the most important chapters of our lives begin on the worst day. On Cracking Open with Molly Carroll, guests look back on the moments that changed everything, from loss and addiction to incarceration and sudden upheaval, and talk about who they became on the other side. Molly is a licensed therapist, and she listens the way you hope a friend would, leaving room for the hard parts without rushing to tidy them up. If you’re ready to crack open a little inspiration of your own, this is the place to start.

What We're Making

Baked Spinach Dip Shells

This is a heavenly mix of two favorites: creamy spinach dip and silky, cheesy, baked pasta. It was important to me that the sauce be rich but light, so I added whipped ricotta blended with extra- virgin olive oil and a bit of stock, along with the usual béchamel. The whipping is key— it transforms the ricotta from dense to cloudlike and keeps everything smooth without a trace of graininess. Tossed with spinach and garlic, this dish has all the comfort of that garlicky dip you can’t stop eating, but dinner- worthy. I love shells here because they catch and cradle the sauce in every curve, though rigatoni or farfalle works just as beautifully. And if you have leftover ricotta, it makes an incredibly light dip.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

FOR THE SPINACH

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (if using fresh spinach), plus more for the pan
• 3 packed cups baby spinach or 15 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed

FOR THE PASTA

• 1 pound dried medium pasta shells (I used De Cecco no. 50)
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick/2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• Generous shower of freshly grated nutmeg

FOR THE SAUCE AND ASSEMBLY

• 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock, homemade (page 227) or store-bought
• 16 ounces Whipped Ricotta, (see page 143)
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram or oregano,  or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• 1 cup shredded Fresh Mozzarella (page 259) or store-bought (see Notes)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

I always want you to read the recipe carefully, but for this one, trust me, follow it exactly, because it took me five tries to get it perfect.

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a deep 9 × 13-inch baking dish and line a large plate with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
2. Bring a large pot of water and the salt to a boil.
3. If using fresh spinach, start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium- high heat. Add the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until it wilts (add in batches as it wilts, if needed). Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring a few times, until most of the water has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes more. Transfer the spinach to the paper towel– lined plate until cool enough to handle.
4. Wrap the cooled fresh or thawed frozen spinach in paper towels or a kitchen towel and squeeze out any remaining liquid into the sink. Roughly chop and set aside.
5. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes, then drain and set aside.
6. Next, make the béchamel. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth, lightly golden, and foamy. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, about a cup at a time, waiting until the mixture thickens slightly before adding the next cup. Whisk in the salt and nutmeg. Switch to a wooden spoon (lower the heat if needed) and simmer, stirring often by making a figure eight and gently scraping the bottom and sides of the pot to prevent scorching, until smooth and lightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. To finish the sauce, add the stock, whipped ricotta, basil, 1/2 cup each of the Parmesan and Pecorino Romano, the garlic, lemon zest, marjoram, salt, garlic powder, granulated onion, nutmeg, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to the pan and mix well with a wooden spoon. Stir in the reserved spinach and the drained pasta shells. Taste the sauce. It should be highly seasoned because the pasta will absorb a lot of seasoning, so add more salt and pepper if you like.
8. Transfer to the oiled pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil (watch that steam!) to check for doneness. It should be al dente; if it’s not, cover the dish again and return it to the oven for about 5 minutes more.
9. Discard the foil and sprinkle the mozzarella and the remaining 1/2 cup each of Parmesan and Pecorino over the top. Mix the panko with the melted butter in a medium bowl and sprinkle it evenly over the cheese.
10. Pop the pan back in the oven, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the cheese is melted, golden brown, and bubbly.
11. Let the pasta rest for about 10 minutes before serving so the sauce can set. Serve with more red pepper flakes if you like.

Notes:

• You can make all the components a day ahead. I prefer to store the pasta and spinach and cheese sauce separately, so the pasta doesn’t absorb too much of the sauce. But you can put it all together a few hours before baking; just let it come to room temperature, or cook it a bit longer if you’ll be popping it into the oven straight from the fridge.
• Play with the types of cheeses and vegetables. This is a great place to use up your odds and ends from the cheese and produce drawers. Sometimes I also stir in cooked, crumbled sausage.
• Most handmade mozzarella contains too much water and can make the pasta bake soggy, so use store- bought mozzarella or my mozzarella recipe (page 259), which is intentionally low moisture for the best melting.

WHIPPED RICOTTA

I accidentally discovered whipped ricotta when on a whim I threw it into the food processor to try to lighten it and remove the graininess. It was a wonder— smooth and almost cloudlike. Now I make it all the time, not just for cooking but also as a quick dip when people come over or when the kids want an after- school snack with vegetables or Dipping Crackers (page 36).

The method is simple: Add a 16-ounce container of ricotta (I prefer whole-milk) to your food processor with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and then, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in a few tablespoons of your best extra- virgin olive oil and blend for about a minute, until it turns silky and light. From there, you can take it in any direction— drizzle my Dipping Oil (page 239) over the top, add a spoonful of hot honey for sweetness and heat, or keep it plain with just flaky sea salt and more pepper. 

Make it a sweet side with a bit of cinnamon and powdered sugar, or drizzle with honey or maple syrup and serve with berries. It’s one of those things that feels effortless but always impresses.

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Excerpted from the book HOMEMADE by Nara Aziza Smith. Copyright © 2026. From William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.