Summer

Herb-Crushed Pasta

June  1, 2016
4
10 Ratings
Photo by Posie Harwood
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This brilliant and wholly green recipe from the De Cecco pasta box uses herbs in two ways: first, sautéed with crushed garlic, and then added fresh by the handful with a knob of butter to finish the dish. It's beautiful alone and would pair with almost any summer vegetable. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

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Ingredients
  • 1 pound pasta
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 bay leaf, minced
  • 3 sage leaves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
  • 1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions
  1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, then drain and set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, minced bay leaf, minced sage, and minced rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes or until fragrant.
  3. Mix all the remaining chopped herbs together in a small bowl. Set half aside. Add the other half of the herbs to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  4. Add the butter and herb mixture to the pasta and toss to coat. If the butter doesn't melt, return to the stovetop to heat briefly to melt the butter.
  5. Add the remaining fresh chopped herbs to the pasta and toss to mix evenly.
  6. Serve as is, or top with grated Parmesan cheese.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

5 Reviews

ariel A. September 2, 2019
Delicious! Loved it. Left out a couple herbs (marjoram, bay leaf) and replaced parsley with cilantro based on what I had on hand/in the garden. Still tasted great! Definitely remember to save some pasta water to toss with the herby pasta.
Lily June 15, 2018
A very tasty recipe made nearly as written with pappardelle. We're gardeners and grow all the herbs so making this was a no-brainer. The only tweak I made was to melt the butter in the skillet after cooking the first half of the herbs and tossed the pasta in with that and some reserved water to get a glossy sauce and then tossed with the second half of herbs. Delicious and can be eaten at room temp, as well.
Marion M. June 12, 2016
as a gardener and a foodie this recipe really appeals to me
Susanna June 12, 2016
When does the butter get added to the herbs? Also, I'm assuming one can play with the herb combo of not all herbs are at hand but others happen to be available?
Posie (. June 12, 2016
Add the butter along with the cooked herbs to the cooked pasta (see step 4 in the recipe instructions). Absolutely play around with the herb combo! I don't think you can go wrong as long as you're sticking with flavors you like -- I was tempted to simplify but there is something delicious that happens once you really add in a mix of flavors so I recommend at least 5 types of herbs to really get the full effect. But, it's a great template to use to showcase any summer herbs, even just simply basil!