Brown butter sauce for pasta

A quick and easy brown butter sauce for pasta with walnuts and crispy sage. A delicious weeknight meal with the family.

Author Minela D'Amore

Course Vegetarian

Cuisine Italian Inspired

Keyword brown butter

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings 2 people

Calories 1340kcal

Pasta of your choice (I used 200 grams dried pasta per person but use whatever amount is normal for you)
100 grams unsalted butter
8 fresh sage leaves
½ cup walnuts
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon flakey sea salt or to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Parmesan to serve

Put your pasta on to cook in a pot of well salted boiling water.
Toast the walnuts in a fry pan over a medium heat, tossing frequently until just turning brown. Set aside.
In a large fry pan (big enough to add the pasta to the sauce at the end) melt the butter over a medium heat.
Let it melt, then sizzle for a few minutes until it starts to foam. Swirl the pan often and keep a close eye on it.
When the foam subsides and the milk solids have turned golden brown add the sage leaves and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until crisp.
When your pasta has about a minute to go, add the pasta water to the butter mixture and whisk well.
Let it bubble away for a minute or so to thicken then add your cooked pasta.
Toss the pasta in the sauce then add the walnuts, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss again.
Serve with lots of grated parmesan.

Have the pasta cooking at the same time as the butter browning. It doesn't matter if the butter is done before the pasta but it does matter if the pasta is done before the butter.
When the pasta is in the sauce I sometimes like to turn the heat off and let it sit for a minute or two. I find this helps the sauce cling to the pasta.