Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter Recipe
Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.
[Photographs and video: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Brown butter-based pasta sauces are some of the simplest things around. They're emulsions made with a flavorful fat and pasta cooking water that coats the pasta in a thin, creamy sheen of flavor. Throw in some sautéed squash and some sage and you've got yourself a great 30-minute meal. It's a classic fall and winter dish that can be made right on the stovetop.
Why It Works
- Lemon juice adds flavor and halts the butter from over-browning when forming the sauce.
- Concentrating the pasta starch by using a small amount of cooking water helps the sauce emulsify into a creamy coating.
Read more: For Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage, Brown Butter Is Key
- Yield:Serves 4 to 6
- Active time: 30 minutes
- Total time:30 minutes
- Rated:
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (30ml)
- 1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (450g; about 1/2 large squash)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30g)
- 1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1 ounce; 30g)
- 1 handful fresh sage leaves, finely minced (about 1/2 ounce; 15g)
- 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon (15ml)
- 1 pound small cupped, tubular, or ridged pasta such as orecchiette, penne, farfalle, or rotini (450g)
- 1 ounce grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (30g)
Directions
-
1.
Heat olive oil in a large stainless steel or cast-iron skillet over high heat until very lightly smoking. Immediately add squash, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until well-browned and squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Add butter and shallots and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until butter is lightly browned and smells nutty, about 1 minute longer. Add sage and stir to combine (sage should crackle and let off a great aroma). Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Set aside.
-
2.
In a medium saucepan, combine pasta with enough room temperature or hot water to cover by about 2 inches. Season with salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil while stirring frequently. Cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is just shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain pasta, reserving a couple cups of the starchy cooking liquid.
-
3.
Add pasta to skillet with squash along with a splash of pasta water. Bring to a simmer over high heat and cook until the pasta is perfectly al dente, stirring and tossing constantly and adding a splash of water as needed to keep the sauce loose and shiny. Off heat, stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and texture with more pasta water as needed. Serve immediately, topped with more cheese at the table.
This Recipe Appears In
For Pasta With Butternut Squash and Sage, Brown Butter Is Key
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