Luxurious brown butter pasta with perfectly cooked pasta and topped with toasted pine nuts. A simple dinner for any week day!
Pasta nights are a busy mom’s best friend. Pasta is quick, filling and how could you be bored of pasta when there are thousands of different combinations of ingredients and sauces? The possibilities are endless.
It really is the simplest of recipes that become our favourites. This is why I love making pasta in brown butter. There is absolutely nothing to it but it makes the most delicious, rich sauce.
Serve with a slice of crusty sourdough bread and you have a winning meal in minutes.
What is Brown Butter?
Brown butter is exactly what it sounds like. It is butter that has been cooked until it takes on a brown and slightly nutty flavour. You can use it for sauces are as a dressing for roasted vegetables.
Brown butter can be made ahead and stored in the refridgerator for 3-4 weeks in a lidded container.
What You Need to Make Brown Butter Pasta
To make this amazing Brown Butter Pasta you will need:
- Shell Pasta
- Broccoli
- Pine Nuts
- Butter
- Sage
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make Brown Butter Pasta with Broccoli and Toasted Pine Nuts
Begin by preheated your oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the pine nuts across a brimmed baking sheet and place inside the oven for 5 minutes. When they are a light golden brown, remove them and set the pine nuts aside.
Then begin boiling salted water in a medium sized pot. When the water has reached a boil, drop in your broccoli florets and let them boil in the water for 5 minutes until they are soft. Remove the broccoli from the pot and then add your pasta to the boiling water.
While your pasta is cooking, begin browning your butter in a large skillet. To do this, you will simply add your butter to the skillet and let it melt and cook on medium to low heat until it has developed a golden colour.
Then add in your sage and broccoli to the butter.
When your pasta has finished cooking, add the noodles to sauce pan. Don’t forget to save your pasta water! You will then add 1 cup or so of pasta water to sauce pan with your butter.
Continue to cook the brown butter with the pasta and broccoli until the sauce has developed a silky texture.
Serve with toasted pine nuts, olive oil and your favourite choice of cheese.
Brown Butter Pasta with Broccoli and Toasted Pine Nuts
Beautifully cooked pasta in a silky brown butter sauce, topped with toasted pine nuts.
Ingredients
- 4 cups mid shell pasta
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup sage
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Scatter pine nuts across a baking sheet.
When oven has preheated, place baking sheet inside the oven and toast the pine nuts for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
While the pine nuts are toasting, fill a large pot with water. Add 1 tsp of salt to the water.
When the has reached a boil, add in the brocolli and allow to cook until tender and can easily be poked through with a fork.
Remove the brocolli with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add your pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water to use later.
While the pasta is cooking, begin to melt the butter in a large skillet.
Cook the butter for 1 minute until it has developed into a light brown colour.
Add the pasta, broccoli and sage to the skillet and stir.
Pour in the saved pasta water and mix on high heat until the water has been absorbed and developed into a silky sauce.
Season with salt and pepper and top with the toasted pine nuts.
Serve the pasta.
Notes
- Al dente simply means that the pasta is cooked but not mushy and overcooked.
More Simple Dinner Recipes Like This
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