Probably the sexiest (and easiest) of all pasta sauces, brown butter pasta sauce is a study in food science. I mean watching a stick of unsalted butter melt and transform into a rich, nutty, shiny sauce is theater. And the flavor it lends to pasta and vegetables? Unforgettable.
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It’s a simple, one ingredient pasta sauce that needs a little patience and a watchful eye. And I didn’t know how much my homemade ravioli needed it too.
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All butters don’t make brown butter
The best butter for making brown butter sauce is unsalted butter with a higher fat content. Salted butter foams more and makes it harder to see the butter as it browns. Plus, unsalted butter gives the cook more control over the final seasoning of the dish.
Start here: top tips for browning butter
In addition to using salted butter, keep the following things in mind:
- Use a light colored pan. I used a small 8″ stainless pan here but one of my favorites to use is a white ceramic pan because then I can really see how dark the butter is browning.
- Cut the butter. Sure, I have melted the butter directly as a whole stick and as you see here, I used half-sticks of butter very successfully.
- Low heat. I set my burner to a really low simmer. It might take you longer but you won’t burn the butter.
- Mix the butter. Some will say that stirring the butter continuously helps to evenly brown it. I found that if you have the burner set on the lowest possible setting and routinely swirl it in the pan about every 45 seconds-1 minute, you will make perfectly browned butter.
4 steps to beautiful brown butter
Yield: 1 stick of butter is plenty for 1/2 lb of pasta. Adjust accordingly to the number of guests.
tip
Signs your brown butter could burn
This is browned butter that it just about done. See how dark it is getting on the bottom and how the foam is browning too? That means your are just about there. Any more time and this butter will burn.
Favorite pasta shapes for brown butter
I ask myself two questions when deciding when to use brown butter sauce on pasta or veggies:
- Does the pasta shape or vegetable have crevices that can hold a little rich butter sauce?
- Will the caramel-flavor of brown butter enhance or compliment the flavor of the vegetable or pasta filling?
I love brown butter on pasta shapes like cavatappi, casarecce (shown here) and thin spaghetti because when twirled the sauce is between the noodles.
For vegetables, brown butter maximizes the flavor of butternut squash filled ravioli, roasted mushrooms, and sauteed or roasted carrots.
Brown butter herb add-ins
Many times, I simmer whole herb leaves like sage, rosemary or thyme in brown butter as it cooks. A sprinkle of crushed red pepper gives some heat to browned butter.
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The Essential Brown Butter Pasta Sauce Guide (for ravioli too)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, one stick or 2 half sticks
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- If using a whole stick of butter, either cut it in half or dice it. This will help it melt more evenly.½ cup unsalted butter
- Turn the stove burner on and set it as low as it can go.Add the butter to a small skillet and place on the burner. The butter will immediately start to slowly melt. Once it fully melts, the butter will gently bubble. If it starts to rapidly bubble, your heat is too high.
- Swirl the pan every 45 seconds to 1 minute as the butter browns. Again, adjust the heat as needed. You'll see the butter slowly start to turn from a light yellow to a rich gold and then very quickly to an even richer amber color.
- After the butter has been simmering for about 5-7 minutes, it should have turned amber brown in color. Don't take your eyes off it after the 5 minute mark as it'll burn quickly if you're not careful!The butter will have darker brown speckles at the bottom that might remind you of vanilla bean paste. That's ok! But if the "speckles" are almost black, you might have burnt the butter.
- Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over cooked hot pasta, ravioli or steamed vegetables. Garnish with pine nuts and parmesan, as desired.½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Well it was like someone had told you I was making my Crab Raviolis, so I put this sauce to the test, but I can say it has been a good success, we are all sat eating our Raviolis with a wonderful taste of this sauce to go on my recipe book, thank you Girls.🙏👏👏👏🙋♂️
You’re so welcome Felix!! Thank you for your support and making our brown butter sauce!