Brown Butter Sage Sauce

A simple brown butter sage sauce made with just a few ingredients. Butter is cooked until golden and nutty, then tossed with crispy sage leaves for a rich, elegant sauce that's perfect over ravioli, gnocchi, tortellini or any pasta.

Course Sauce

Cuisine Italian

Keyword brown butter for ravioli, brown butter gnocchi sauce, brown butter pasta sauce, brown butter sage pasta, brown butter sage sauce, burro e salvia, butter and sage sauce, sage brown butter, sage butter sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 205kcal

Author Alida Ryder

Ingredients

½ cup (112g) butter
14 sage leaves
1-2 tsp lemon juice optional
salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash and thoroughly dry the sage leaves with paper towels. Any moisture will cause the hot butter to splutter. Have them ready beside the stove before you start.
Cut the butter into even pieces and place in a light-coloured pan over medium heat.
Let it melt completely, then continue cooking. It will foam as the water evaporates.
Swirl the pan gently and watch the colour. After a few minutes, the foaming will subside and golden brown flecks will form at the bottom. The butter will smell nutty and toasty. This is your brown butter.
Add the sage leaves in a single layer. They'll sizzle and crisp in about 30 to 60 seconds. The edges will curl slightly and the leaves will become crisp and translucent. If using garlic, add it about 30 seconds before the sage.
Remove from heat. Squeeze in the lemon juice (it will splutter), season with salt and pepper, and swirl gently.
If serving with pasta, toss the cooked pasta directly into the pan with a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water until everything is coated and glossy.

Notes

Butter: Use unsalted. The flavours concentrate as the water evaporates, so salted butter can become too salty.
Sage: Must be fresh, not dried. Dried sage won't crisp and has a very different flavour. Pat leaves completely dry before adding to the butter.
Pan: Use a light-coloured pan so you can see the butter changing colour. Dark pans make it too hard to judge.
Pasta water: Reserve 1 cup before draining. Add a few tablespoons at a time when tossing pasta in the sauce to create a silky coating.
Serving suggestion: Best over ravioli, gnocchi, or tortellini. Also excellent over roasted butternut squash or cauliflower.
Storage: Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

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