My guide to the best butter sauce for pasta
A simple guide to two classic butter sauces for pasta. A nutty brown butter and a silky emulsified butter sauce made with pasta water.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the browned butter
- 200 g unsalted butter cubed
- 10 - 12 sage leaves I like to use 3 - 4 per plate
- Salt to taste
For the emulsified butter sauce
- 150 g unsalted butter cubed
- ¼ cup pasta water (plus more if needed)
- Juice of half a lemon 1 - 2 tbsp depending on your preference
- Salt to taste
Instructions
For the browned butter
- Start the butter when the pasta has about 3–4 minutes left to cook.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add in the sage leaves as the butter is melting and bring to a sizzle.
- Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown. This should take about 3–4 minutes.
- Spoon the brown butter and sage over your cooked pasta and season to taste.
For the emulsified butter sauce
- When your pasta is nearly cooked, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water before draining.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until it begins to sizzle.
- Lower the heat and add the lemon juice and pasta water, whisking vigorously while shaking the pan to bring the liquids together.
- Let the sauce gently bubble for 30–60 seconds so it thickens slightly.
- Add your pasta straight in and let it gently bubble away for a minute before serving.
- Add more pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce
Notes
A simple guide - These recipes show the basic techniques for two classic butter sauces. For more detailed instructions and variations, see my individual recipes for brown butter and all my other butter sauces.
Salted vs unsalted butter - You can use either salted or unsalted butter for these sauces. I often use unsalted so I can control the seasoning myself, but salted butter works perfectly well too.
Start the sauce near the end of cooking - Butter sauces are very quick to make. Start the sauce when your pasta has just a few minutes left to cook so everything finishes at the same time.
Pasta water is essential - The starch in pasta cooking water helps emulsify the butter and create a smooth sauce. Always reserve some before draining your pasta. Check out my guide for cooking pasta for the perfect water to salt to pasta ratio.