Pasta With Brown Butter Wilted Greens and Walnuts
Alexis deBoschnek
Photo by Food52
- Serves
- 4 - 6 Servings
- Prep Time
- 10
- Cook Time
- 10
If, like me, you often buy a box of mixed greens with big intentions, only to
have them slowly wither in the back of the refrigerator, this recipe is for you.
It’s a pantry pasta that gets the bulk of flavor from cooking the butter until
nutty and golden brown, along with a generous amount of garlic. While a
10-ounce box may seem like a lot, the greens wilt down in minutes once they
touch the heat of the pan.
Notes: I call for a box of mixed greens here, but any assortment of greens
will work to sauté, like spinach, kale, mustard greens, radicchio, or arugula.
The point is to use something you have on hand. You can use any type of
nut you’d like in place of walnuts, such as pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, or
pistachios. While you can also leave them out, I like the crunch they add.
Leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for
up to 2 days.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 (16-ounce) box short pasta of choice
- 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup walnuts or other nut of choice, coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (10-ounce) box mixed greens
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Directions
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta in a colander.
- Step 2
Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally. When the butter has melted and become foamy, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the butter is lightly golden brown and smells nutty, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the walnuts, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
- Step 3
Increase the heat to medium-high, add the mixed greens to the pan, and cook until the greens are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pasta and Parmigiano and stir to combine. Serve immediately.