In case you don't know by now, brown butter is one of my favorite ingredients. It only takes a few minutes to make, and the flavor pay off is well worth it. In this pasta, brown butter and sage serve as the base for a creamy sauce. Roasted butternut squash is mixed in as a complement to the flavors, and it is all topped with a toasted hazelnut and Panko bread crumb topping. It truly is such a wonderful combination of textures and flavors.
Be sure to cut the butternut squash into small cubes--I do about ½ to no bigger than 1 inch cubes so they cook quickly and so I can get little bursts of caramelized squash flavor in every bite. Don't forget to save some pasta water doing the cooking pasta, you will use it to help bring the sauce together.
Brown Butter Sage Pasta
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 small to medium size butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup hazelnuts, finely chopped
- 1 pound uncooked pasta
- 20-25 sage leaves, finely chopped
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange butternut squash on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, until tender and caramelizing on the edges.
- While the squash cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Remove about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, as the water is coming to a boil for your pasta and the butternut squash roasts, make your topping. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add Panko and hazelnuts, and continue to cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or so until toasted and fragrant. Set aside.
- Make your sauce. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Continue to cook butter, stirring frequently and adjusting temperature as needed, until butter is starting to become a golden brown color and smells nutty, about 1-2 minutes. Add sage, and continue to cook another minute until fragrant. Carefully add in cream, stirring to combine. Cook, stirring for about 1 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add ¾ cups pasta water. Mixture will be thinner, but continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until thickened up a bit. Add parmesan, stirring until melted and well combined. If mixture is too thick, you can add a little more pasta water; if too thin, gently simmer to thicken. Add in your cooked pasta. Add roasted butternut squash, then top pasta with your hazelnut breadcrumbs and serve.
Leave a Reply