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    Brown Butter & Herb Pasta

    Sep 27, 2021 · 15 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    As we ease ourselves into Fall, we’re sharing some of our favorite transitional recipes that utilize the flavorful comforts of fall mixed with the remaining freshness of summer. Enter today’s recipe where rich browned butter is seasoned with notes of citrus, tossed with pasta and sweet peas, then topped with toasted walnuts and breadcrumbs.

    You might think lemon balm is just good for tea. Well, think again. It’s subtle herbaceous, citrusy note lends a refreshing take on a hearty pasta dish like today’s.

    Though the bulk of our summer harvest has slowed down, the herbs are still flourishing, particularly the lemon balm.

    I had a vision for this herb, that I have several times now mistaken for mint, in a savory setting.

    That being said, when I decided to treat the family to a browned butter pasta, I got the idea of mixing in sweet peas and fresh lemon balm. It offers the usually rich dish a bit of lightness with its lemony, minty, sweetness.

    To tie it all together, I toasted chopped walnuts and breadcrumbs to serve over the rigatoni along with lots of shaved Parmesan.

    If you don’t happen to have lemon balm on hand, feel free of course to use lemon zest in its place. If you want the extra greenery, chopped fresh parsley or basil tossed in here with do the trick.

    This Brown Butter & Herb Pasta is a delicious transitional dish that evokes both the flavors of a lingering summer and burgeoning fall.

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    Brown Butter & Herb Pasta

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    ★★★★★

    5 from 5 reviews

    • Author: Living the Gourmet
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 25 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 4 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 lb. rigatoni or your favorite pasta
    • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon balm, finely chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 small sweet onion, chopped
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • 2 teaspoons chili flakes
    • 3/4 cup sweet peas
    • 1/2 lemon zested, for topping
    • Shaved Parmesan, for topping

    Topping:

    • 1/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
    • 1/8 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil

    Instructions

    • Begin by toasting your walnuts in a small pan over medium high heat.  Once the nuts are golden and toasted, remove promptly so they don’t burn.  In the same pan, toast the breadcrumbs and olive oil until the breadcrumbs have turned a deep brown color.  Toss together with the walnuts in a small bowl and set aside.
    • Prepare the pasta as directed.
    • In a large cast iron pan, melt the butter down and continue to cook until it has browned.  Add the chopped herbs, garlic, and onion.  Once the onions are clear, season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
    • Add the pasta to the pan and toss together with the sweet peas.
    • Top with the toasted breadcrumb mixture, fresh lemon zest, and shaved Parmesan.  Serve & enjoy!

    Keywords: pasta, brown butter, main dish, dinner

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @LTGfood on Instagram and hashtag it #LTGfood

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    Pasta & Noodles

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather says

      27/09/2021 at 10:55 pm

      This sounds and looks so delicious. I would love to make this for my family!

      Reply
    2. Stephanie says

      28/09/2021 at 12:59 am

      This is such a perfect, easy recipe for busy weeknights. And a great option when we want a meatless meal, too.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. proseccobefore7 says

      28/09/2021 at 8:19 am

      We associate anything pasta with comfort food in this household, and OMG! this looks comforting and delicious! Thanks so much for sharing. I have the perfect dinner for tonight!

      Reply
    4. MELANIE EDJOURIAN says

      28/09/2021 at 10:18 am

      I’ve only ever had lemon balm in tea. It must be nice in food too sounds like a great dish.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Natasha Mairs says

      28/09/2021 at 1:53 pm

      Oh this recipe looks so nice. We are big pasta fans in our house so this would go down well

      Reply
    6. Jupiter Hadley says

      28/09/2021 at 2:15 pm

      This pasta sounds so light and delicious!

      Reply
    7. Rhian Westbury says

      28/09/2021 at 4:26 pm

      I’m not the biggest fan of peas myself, but the rest of this sounds very tasty x

      Reply
    8. David J Myers says

      28/09/2021 at 5:51 pm

      Catherine, That is a lovely looking entree! The combination of browned butter, sweet peas and fresh lemon balm with pasta sounds refreshing and very satisfying too! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

      Reply
    9. Laura Schwormstedt says

      28/09/2021 at 9:03 pm

      Ooh wow this looks delicious and perfect for an autumn evening and not too hard to make either – going to give it a go, thanks for sharing

      Laura x

      Reply
    10. Lisa says

      28/09/2021 at 9:28 pm

      What a unique pasta dish! I’ve never tried brown butter before on pasta but I’m interested to try it!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    11. Danwil R says

      29/09/2021 at 3:41 am

      Looks yummy to me! I love eating pasta.

      Reply
    12. Yeah Lifestyle says

      29/09/2021 at 12:11 pm

      Looks like a nice and quick weekday recipe to make for the family. I can’t wait to try making this.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. An Indian Traveler says

      29/09/2021 at 4:58 pm

      This looks so yummy! Would definitely like to give it a try. Nicely detailed post!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    14. Everything Enchanting says

      29/09/2021 at 11:08 pm

      Such an interesting recipe! I love a good pasta dish and this herb version looks absolutely delicious 😍

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Bow Ties & Garbanzo Toss - Living The Gourmet says:
      23/03/2022 at 4:41 pm

      […] Brown Butter and Herbs Pasta. Super simple, yet delicious and satisfying, this recipe features a rich brown butter sauce […]

      Reply

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