Crazy Good Spicy Italian Popcorn
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Can popcorn be Italian? Add garlic butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, oregano, and red pepper flakes and the answer is a definite yes!
This homemade popcorn tossed with garlic butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, oregano, and red pepper flakes is adapted from Crazy Good Italian: Big Flavors, Small Plates by D.C. Chef and Top Chef All-Stars runner up Mike Isabella. It’s insanely delicious (yes, crazy good) and exemplifies Isabella’s self-described cooking style: one part old-world Italian, one part old-school Jersey, one part modern Mediterranean—all parts delicious. You have to try it!
“This popcorn was amazing! I was having friends over for a movie night and it paired perfectly with the Italian Prosecco I served!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Crazy Good Spicy Italian Popcorn
Step-by-Step Instructions
Heat the vegetable oil in a very large pan over medium-high heat, and add the popcorn.
Cover with a tight fitting lid (alternatively, cover tightly with foil). Wait for the popcorn to start popping, then shake the pan gently every now and again to keep the kernels moving. When the popping slows to 2 to 3 seconds apart, remove the pan from the heat.
Melt the butter in the microwave (be sure the bowl is big enough so that it won’t bubble over). Add the garlic and microwave for 1 minute more. Pour the garlic butter through a fine meshed strainer into a small bowl; discard the garlic.
In a mini food processor or spice grinder, combine the Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, oregano and salt.
Blend until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
Transfer the popcorn to a serving bowl. Pour the garlic butter over the popcorn and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the cheese mixture and toss again until the popcorn is evenly coated.
Serve warm or room temperature.
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Crazy Good Spicy Italian Popcorn
Can popcorn be Italian? Add garlic butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, oregano, and red pepper flakes and the answer is a definite yes!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a very large pan over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn, then cover with a tight fitting lid (alternatively, cover tightly with foil). Wait for the popcorn to start popping, then shake the pan gently every now and again to keep the kernels moving. When the popping slows to 2 to 3 seconds apart, remove the pan from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, melt the butter in the microwave (be sure the bowl is big enough so that it won't bubble over). Add the garlic and microwave for 1 minute more. Pour the garlic butter through a fine meshed strainer into a small bowl; discard the garlic.
- In a mini food processor or spice grinder, grind the Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, oregano and salt until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Transfer the popcorn to a serving bowl. Pour the garlic butter over the popcorn and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the cheese mixture and toss again until the popcorn is evenly coated. Serve warm or room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 2 cups
- Calories: 194
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 0
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 87 mg
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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I love this popcorn. I’m eating it for breakfast right now. I usually make microwave popcorn, so it took me a while to get around to giving it a try. I added a teaspoon or more of cumin. I blended the spice mixture in a pint jar on my blender because it was easier and caused less of a mess. I used grated Parmesan because that’s what I had. I popped it in olive oil. I dumped the popcorn into a very large metal bowl to make it easier to distribute the butter and spices. I seldom call anything too salty; I would say this is salty enough. I will make it again for guests. It’s better than potato or barbecue chips without the chemical voodoo. I can’t stop eating it.
🙂
Glad you’re enjoying it (and who said popcorn wasn’t a breakfast food?)!
Hi Jenn, I’d like to serve this at a cocktail party. How far in advance can you make this popcorn?
Thanks!
Hi Jane, I wouldn’t recommend making it too far in advance as it will get soggy. But you could definitely pop the popcorn and make the Parm/spice mixture a few hours in advance and then, right before serving, make the garlic butter, combine and serve. Hope that helps!
This popcorn was amazing! I was having friends over for a movie night and it paired perfectly with the Italian Prosecco I served!!
Delicious! A nice variation with a little extra effort, wonderful flavors, a big hit!
hello Jenn i have just found your website and am loving it!! i am spreading the word in england!
kind regards
jo
Thank you, Jo-Ann!
Hi Jenn,
Will a regular food processor work? Or does it need to be mini? Thanks!
Hi Rachael, A regular one should work — I just use a mini because it’s such a small amount.
Quick, easy and delightful snack with just the right amount of heat. Substituted Pecorino Romano for a bit of a sharper taste. May try adding some cumin powder next time.
I made this for a party to serve with cocktails and WOW was it good. We love spicy so next time I might even add more red pepper flakes, but the recipe is really perfect as is. Thanks Jenn!
I also found this a little too salty. I used 1 tsp of fleur de sel, and ground everything up using my immersion blender. Instead of straining the butter, I prepared it in a measuring cup, and then let it sit while I did everything else. By the time I was done, all the garlic had settled, and it was easy to just pour out the butter.
I might play around with the recipe a bit more (love the garlic butter/parmesan parts) but it’s really not my favourite popcorn seasoning.
Thanks for the feedback, Lindsey. I retested the recipe and reduced the salt. Should be perfect now. 🙂
I’m the Jenn below who was first to review. Just wanted to say that the adjusted salt level is much better now! And since my mini food processor isn’t very effective, I decided to use my granite mortar and pestle to grind the oregano, salt, and pepper flakes, before adding the cheese. I found that adding the butter in small amounts then tossing after each addition, and then doing the same for the cheese mixture, really helped distribute everything evenly. Thanks!
Saw this featured in the newsletter and decided to try it out. Really tasty, good savoury flavours, but a little on the salty side. I even used a bit less than a teaspoon of regular table salt… could be that I added a wee bit more grated parmesan, or maybe that I didn’t mix the mixture in properly. I also didn’t strain the garlic but it wasn’t too strong. It was a little more work than I wanted to do for an after-dinner snack (grating the parmesan, cutting up garlic, using my mini processor… cleaning all of it) but in any case my husband deemed it a delicious snack and I would make it again. Thanks!