Grains, Pasta, Spuds

Pasta Nada

Trendy Pasta With a Few Handy Ingredients

Sage and Walnut Pasta

I’m so excited! I caught this NYTimes article about “Nothing Pasta.” It’s a wonderful way to create a variety of pasta dishes using bits and pieces from the pantry: protein, nuts, veggies, fats, cheese. I happened to have all the ingredients for this recipe. There are no suggested amounts to include—this is good—you can be more attentive to how the dish evolves.

The author, Dwight Garner, also suggested a puttanesca pasta, which I will be making soon. I’ve got olives, anchovies, capers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs—I know it will be a hit.

I will also venture into the Asian world of noodle dishes. And the Caribbean, and ….

How Liberating to Gather a Few Pantry Items and Whip Up a Bowl of Deliciousness

INGREDIENTS: Consider other crisp-tender steamed veggies. Change out the fat to olive oil. Consider red pepper flakes. Got leftover proteins?!

Serves 3-4

  • walnuts – 1 cup or so, roasted
  • spaghetti – 12 oz, cooked al dente, 1 cup pasta cooking water reserved
  • butter – 3/4 stick
  • sage, ground – 1 tsp, or several fresh or dried leaves, ground or minced
  • dry sherry – 1/4 cup, [or Marsala, Madeira, white wine]
  • broccoli – [optional] 2 cups, cooked al dente [I steamed]
  • salt & pepper – to taste
  • parmesan cheese – 1/2 cup or more
  • fresh herbs – fistful, chopped [I like chives, and/or more fresh sage]

INSTRUCTIONS: Use a non-stick pan so you can see the butter turning brown

  1. Preheat oven to 325º, spread walnuts out on a baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes; then cool and coarsely chop
  2. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water
  3. In a non-stick pan add the butter and bring to medium-low heat; cook and stir occasionally until butter browns and becomes fragrant—6-8 minutes
  4. Add the sage, cooked veggies [if using], and wine—bring to a simmer for a couple minutes
  5. Add the cooked pasta and toss vigorously to help make the sauce creamy. Add additional reserved pasta water as needed to loosen so there is some liquid barely dripping off pasta
  6. Add parmesan and continue to toss to coat the pasta until texture becomes silky
  7. . Taste for seasoning and plate—add more parmesan at the table
Walnuts, broccoli, parmesan, brown butter, sage

B. Hettig

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