Pasta with Sage Browned Butter Sauce

Picture from Something Extra Magazine

As I mentioned in my last post, vegetarian meals aren't generally my thing, but I have found yet another vegetarian dish that I can't help but recommend. I am also a little shocked by the original source of this recipe, Raley's free monthly magazine Something Extra. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoy thumbing through this little magazine each month, but a lot of its energies are generally spent on getting you to buy some specific products over sharing tantalizing recipes. This month however, as I sleepily flipped through its glossy colorful pages, I found a dish that is amazing both in its taste and its simplicity: Pasta with Sage Browned Butter Sauce on page 28.

I have read several places about browning butter, but it was a new experience for me and definitely not hard at all. Just stir it a bit so it doesn't burn. I put this dish together in under thirty minutes before Jeff and I ran out the door for Good Friday services (hence the lack of my own picture) and it kept us nice and full all evening. I recommend pairing it with a fresh spinach salad to add a healthy dose of veggies into the mix. Enjoy!

Oh, and did I mention this was super cheap?

Pasta with Sage Browned Butter Sauce
adapted from Raley's Something Extra

Ingredients

8 oz. spaghetti
1/2 cup of butter
1.5-2 cups of peeled and diced butternut squash
2 tbsp. of fresh sage
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 minced garlic cloves or 1 tbsp. of pre-minced garlic
shredded parmesan
2 small handfuls of toasted pine nuts

1) Cook the pasta according to packages instructions.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp. of butter. Add finely diced squash and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes until soft. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

3) Add the remaining butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, cook and stir for 2-3 minutes, just until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. Swirl or stir the pan several times to keep it from burning.

4) Remove the pan from heat and stir in the squash, sage, vinegar and garlic. Add pasta, toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5) Serve immediately topped with toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese.

Notes:

-This reheats really well in the microwave so make enough for leftover or you can make it ahead and pack it up if you’re going on a trip.

-Use the same seasonings used in this recipe to make a squash side dish. Just chop the butternut squash into large bite sized chunks, sauté in butter until soft and then add the vinegar, garlic and sage after you've turned off the heat. We had it this evening with fish and I got Jeff to actually say he enjoyed eating squash by itself now! Coming from him that's a major compliment!!

-One butternut squash can last for several meals, so plan to make something else out of your leftovers later in the week.