A creamier yet lighter take on sage and brown butter pasta. This sauce relies on pureed squash for its creamy texture and can easily convert to vegan fare… Substitute olive oil for the brown butter and nutritional yeast for the parmesan.
ingredients
2 Ounces (1/2 Cup) Pine Nuts, Hazelnuts, or Cashews
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter or Olive Oil, divided
5 grams (2-3 Cloves) Fresh Garlic, sliced
2 Pounds Summer Squash or Zucchini, chopped or grated
1-2 Teaspoons Table Salt, approximate, to taste
8 oz Green Beans or Peas, cut into bit size pieces
1 Pound Pasta, fresh or dried
4 quarts Water, for cooking pasta (reserve 2 cups after cooking)
1 Tablespoon Table Salt, for cooking pasta
1.5 oz (1/2 cup) Nutritional Yeast or Parmesan Cheese
1 Ounce (2 tablespoons/ about 1/2 lemon) Fresh Lemon Juice
.3 Ounces (about 50 leaves) Fresh Sage
deviations & tips
Summer squash such as yellow squash, patty pan or zucchini works best.
Top with additional toasted pine nuts, cheese, or nutritional yeast.
the method
In a small pan, heat nuts over medium high heat, stirring often, until lightly browned and toasty. Put into your blender or food processor.
In a saute pan or skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of butter or olive oil over medium high heat. If using butter, melt butter and continue heating, swirling often, until brown. Add squash or zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture is released and starts to evaporate, about 5 minutes. The squash should be soft and translucent but not mushy. The mixture will be watery but when you run a spatula through the mixture, the line should hold for a couple seconds. Add garlic and saute for a couple seconds until fragrant. Add mixture to your nuts in the blender or food processor and set aside.
Heat butter, swirling often, until fragrant and brown.
Cook squash until translucent but not mushy.
Place a colander in a larger bowl or pan and place in the sink. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon table salt. Add green beans or peas and cook until just tender, about 3-5 minutes. Using a large slotted spoon or skimmer, remove vegetables from water and set aside. Add pasta and cook until al dente or according to package instructions. Drain into colander set over bowl. Remove colander and pasta; set aside. Reserve about 2 cups of that pasta water and discard the rest.
Add about one cup of the reserved pasta water to the squash mixture. If using a blender, be sure to let pasta water cool slightly before blending. Add cheese or nutritional yeast. Blend for about 2 minutes or until completely smooth and pureed. Taste and add additional salt, about a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, if needed, to taste.
Add sauce to skillet or saute pan (the pan you used to cook the squash). Heat over medium low and add fresh ground black pepper to taste. In the pot you used to cook the pasta, heat butter or olive oil over medium high. If using butter, melt butter and continue heating, swirling often, until brown. Turn off heat and add sage leaves. Shake pan for just a couple seconds until leaves are dark green. Add lemon juice to stop cooking and deglaze pan. Stir in pasta. Mix in squash sauce and beans or peas. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more of the reserved pasta water. If desired, top with additional cheese, nutritional yeast, and/or toasted nuts.
Patty Pan, Brown Butter and Sage Sauce over Penne