Weeknight Spicy Brown Butter Pasta.
A weeknight favorite: say hello to this spicy brown butter pasta! The tiny shells hold all the savory brown butter flavor, and the pasta is tossed with lots of garlic, chili flakes, crispy sage and parmesan. A dream in a bowl that tastes cozy and comforting.
Another day, another pasta!
In this case, a super easy weeknight pasta that you can make for yourself when you need a simple, comforting meal.
Easy, flavorful, minimal ingredients, tons of parm and crispy sage. Super garlicky, with a hint of heat too.
Yep – I am here for it.
Oh this pot right here! This skillet of brown butter with crispy sage is not only the epitome of fall, but one of my favorite things in all the land.
WHY is this so delicious? I could drizzle this on vegetables or well, almost anything. And I can’t get enough.
This is SO my kind of meal. It’s the one I make after a super busy day, maybe when Eddie is working late or has one of the kids somewhere and the baby is in bed. Serious comfort food, right here.
It’s a so-good-you-eat-it-right-out-of-the-skillet meal.
I mean, just LOOK at those puddles of brown butter in the shells?! And the brown caramelized bits all over the pasta?!
Here’s how I do it! It’s embarrassingly easy, by the way.
I cook my pasta the regular old way. Salted boiling water! Any cut of noodle works. I love these little shells because the brown butter pools in them and it’s just a huge burst of flavor.
While the pasta cooks, I brown my butter. Just my favorite thing to do over here, of course. I live for brown butter. You can see step-by-step exactly how I make it here, or even over on instagram.
Once the butter just starts to brown, I throw in my garlic, sage and crushed red pepper. It only needs to cook for a minute or so! This creates a delicious brown butter sauce – sort of like my garlic sauce – that makes the silky, buttery coating for our pasta. Simple and delicious.
Next, I toss in the pasta. I coat it super well and serve with LOTS of parmesan cheese. Taste and season. Then serve.
Um, hi. That is IT.
This is the ideal alone-time meal. A perfect bowl of pasta when you want something fast but cozy, comforting and satisfying. It’s savory and cheesy with a few caramel notes from the brown butter.
It also works as a side dish, as a base for just about anything (throw in leftover roasted vegetables, rotisserie chicken or grilled salmon) and is easily customizable by reducing the garlic and leaving out the pepper flakes.
It’s what everyone wants to eat!
Spicy Brown Butter Pasta
Spicy Brown Butter Pasta with Parmesan and Sage
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium shells pasta
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 15 fresh sage leaves (or however many you want)
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- lots of parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Strain it once finished.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir as it bubbles, and after 2 minutes or so you should see brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. The minute the brown bits appear, stir in the sage. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until it gets crispy. You can remove the sage leaves and use them for topping, or just leave them in the butter and stir in with the pasta. You also still want the butter to get golden brown here, but not burn.
- Stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add the pasta to the skillet and coat well. Turn off the heat.
- Stir in a few tablespoons of finely grated parmesan. Toss well and taste the pasta. If it needs a pinch of salt and pepper, add it. If not, don’t add it!
- Serve with as much cheese as you’d like. YUM.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Can I just curl up in one of those shells for the winter…
3 Comments on “Weeknight Spicy Brown Butter Pasta.”
I make something similar to this using Ricotta salata instead of Parmesan. It’s even better with Mizithra, but it’s impossible to find near me.
Made this the other night when everyone was being picky. I doubled the recipe and everyone ate every single bite. A huge hit & super easy!
Delicious! Used 12oz of pasta shells to 8 tablespoons of butter which made the right amount for 4 servings with a side salad. As Melissa stated Mizithra would be an excellent choice for this dish (a la Old Spaghetti Factory). It would be helpful if your recipes had a feature to increase / decrease the yield, and in turn update the ingredients accordingly.