Brown Butter and Sage Pappardelle with Butternut Squash and Baby Peas

by Debbie Wright in Blog Posts, Dinner, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetables

November 2, 2017

So this is a recipe I’d been thinking about for a while, ever since I found a box of hand cut, made in Italy from durum wheat flour, pappardelle noodles for half price at the grocery store. I knew I could make something interesting and tasty from these beautiful handmade pasta ribbons so I bought several boxes since they were still well within the freshness date stamped on the box.

If you’ve never heard of pappardelle they are extra wide and long egg noodles, similar to fettuccine noodles but much thinner and wider. They could easily work in a more traditional pasta dish using a tomato based sauce, or even a cream sauce, but I wanted to create something that would pair the sweetness of baby green peas and roasted butternut squash with with the savory flavors of shallots, garlic and sage.

The idea for the browned butter base came from my mother. Whenever she wanted to make something taste extra dreamy she added browned butter to the recipe. She would put real butter in a pan and cook it until it began to turn frothy and then golden brown. The aroma of browned butter filled the kitchen and to this day, whenever I taste browned butter, I am instantly transported back to my mother’s kitchen.

Now, before you panic at the thought of eating both butter and pasta at the same time, let me just say that unless you are eating butter and pasta in extreme amounts seven days a week the amount of butter and pasta in this recipe will easily fit into an otherwise healthy diet. I generally strive to follow the 80/20 rule…do the right things for your body 80% of the time and your body will take care of you the other 20%. Savor the aromas. Savor the flavor. It’ll do your soul a world of good. Life is short…enjoy these little things. That’s the whole premise of The Morning Walk Effect. Live healthy, enjoy your life and never feel guilty.

And just in case you were wondering…my favorite wine to pair with this recipe is Honig Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a beautiful combination of flavors that seem to dance around your taste buds. Although this is not necessarily a food and recipe blog it is about living a healthy life, the way you want to live it, and savoring everything good that life has to offer.

Enough said. Now on to the good stuff.

BROWNED BUTTER AND SAGE PAPPARDELLE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BABY PEAS

Serves: 4 – 6

Prep Time: About 45 minutes

Note – use organic ingredients whenever possible…it does matter.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces pappardelle pasta

1 large butternut squash cut into 1″ cubes (time saver: buy pre-cut, about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other high heat oil)

2 cups frozen petite (or regular size) peas, thawed

1/2 cup butter (Kerrygold Irish butter is AWESOME in this recipe)

1 shallot, chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

6-8 fresh sage leaves with stems and spine removed, cut into thin strips

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Himalayan sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

6 ounces shaved Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Spread out butternut squash on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes until crisp-tender but not mushy.
2. While the squash is baking boil water as directed on pasta package.
3. While the water is boiling chop the shallot and garlic and place into a small bowl (placing them together in the same bowl for about 10 minutes allows them to mix and release their health promoting properties).
4. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions.
5. Heat a large skillet and add the butter. Cook at a medium-high heat until butter melts and a froth forms. Butter should begin browning right about this point. When butter begins to brown add the shallot/garlic mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat off.
6. When there is about 2 minutes left on the pasta cooking time add the thawed peas and cook with pasta for the last 2 minutes. When pasta and peas are finished cooking (about 9 minutes) drain as directed then add to the butter mixture. Mix thoroughly.
7. Remove squash from oven. Carefully add to the butter/pasta mixture. Mix thoroughly.
8. Add the fresh sage ribbons and 1/2 teaspoon dried sage.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.
10. Divide among 4 or 6 dishes.
11. Sprinkle shaved Parmesan cheese on top.

This recipe makes 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings. I hope you love it as much as I do. At first glance it might not appear “healthy” according to popular dietary advice but the majority of the ingredients are high quality and organic. There are no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and the entire recipe was prepared with love. That sounds pretty healthy to me.

NOTE – I’ve also made this recipe substituting butternut squash ravioli for the pappardelle pasta and it’s equally awesome!