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.
Brown Butter & Herb Pasta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 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!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
Keywords: pasta, brown butter, main dish, dinner
Heather says
This sounds and looks so delicious. I would love to make this for my family!
Stephanie says
This is such a perfect, easy recipe for busy weeknights. And a great option when we want a meatless meal, too.
★★★★★
proseccobefore7 says
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!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN says
I’ve only ever had lemon balm in tea. It must be nice in food too sounds like a great dish.
★★★★★
Natasha Mairs says
Oh this recipe looks so nice. We are big pasta fans in our house so this would go down well
Jupiter Hadley says
This pasta sounds so light and delicious!
Rhian Westbury says
I’m not the biggest fan of peas myself, but the rest of this sounds very tasty x
David J Myers says
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
Laura Schwormstedt says
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
Lisa says
What a unique pasta dish! I’ve never tried brown butter before on pasta but I’m interested to try it!
★★★★★
Danwil R says
Looks yummy to me! I love eating pasta.
Yeah Lifestyle says
Looks like a nice and quick weekday recipe to make for the family. I can’t wait to try making this.
★★★★★
An Indian Traveler says
This looks so yummy! Would definitely like to give it a try. Nicely detailed post!
★★★★★
Everything Enchanting says
Such an interesting recipe! I love a good pasta dish and this herb version looks absolutely delicious 😍