This recipe is sneaky simple, but it’s long-winded name might have you believe otherwise. This Cheesy Pastas with Breadcrumbs and Whipped Brown Butter Vinaigrette sits in that rustically elegant space that really is just right for either a nice weeknight dinner or a casual entertaining sort of thing ( I have enjoyed it for both). Chock full of flavor, thanks to some salty prosciutto, roasted asparagus, and the aforementioned vinaigrette, this is yet another fantastic back pocket pasta recipe to keep around for a rainy day.
Read on for a little more about this pasta situation (all the deets!), or just skip ahead to the recipe itself. For more of the greatest MKL pasta hits, check out the “mains” section of this page, or you can simply search in the bar below.
Kitchen Little Essentials
To make this Cheesy Pastas with Breadcrumbs and Whipped Brown Butter Vinaigrette, you’ll need:
A large pot (for cooking the pastas)
A large sheet pan (to roast the asparagus + crisp the prosciutto)
A saucepan (to brown the butter)
A blender (to whip up the vinaigrette)
Brown Butter Vinaigrette. Just typing that out makes me kind of want to race into the kitchen, slather some onto, well … anything really, and savor the pure deliciousness that is BROWN BUTTER VINAIGRETTE. My Kitchen Little – both literally and virtually – would simply not be complete without it.
This recipe proves that you can make a truly restaurant-worthy showstopper of a meal from the most inexpensive, humble list of pantry staples – right in your own Kitchen Little. Cheesy pastas (here, ravioli and tortellini) make the perfect bed for some salty, crispy prosciutto and crunchy, slightly spicy breadcrumbs. The brown butter vinaigrette pulls the whole thing together in the most satisfying way – I kid you not the stuff is drinkable. I saw the concept in a social media post from The Kitchn, and was hooked.
This whole recipe is like a symphony of really nicely balanced flavors that play so nicely together on a plate. Such sweet music. Each forkful is a little different than the last, and it’s just really fun to eat. The ingredient list might read a little salty to you, but don’t worry – the final dish tastes just right.
The Two-Pasta Trick
Alright fine, maybe it’s not all that tricky, but I personally enjoy mixing and matching my pasta shapes. It makes for a fun plate of food and it’s such an easy way to change up the textures in a dish without really adding an ingredient or step along the way. If you’re going to grab two packages of cheesy pasta, why not make one tortellini and the other ravioli? They’re right next to each other on the store shelf and they taste exactly the same.
But sometimes the slight difference in shape can actually boost the over all dish in the end. It’s so great here in this Cheesy Pastas with Fresh Breadcrumbs and Whipped Brown Butter Vinaigrette. A personal favorite Kitchen Little trick of mine, if I do say so myself.
All that said, feel free to sneak in a flavored pasta if you like. Maybe mushroom ravioli? Butternut squash? This recipe’s flavor profile is pretty neutral in that, like a great capsule wardrobe, it really plays well with others. You can take the flavors in all sorts of fun directions without messing anything up. Yes! we love this so, so much.
How to make a Brown Butter Vinaigrette
Well, for starters, you’ll need to brown some butter. Here’s how:
{You can do this with any amount of butter that you want – the method doesn’t change.} In a small saucepan over medium heat, add your butter and let it fully melt. Swirl the pan a few times and let the butter continue to bubble away and brown. You’ll smell it when it’s ready; it should only take a couple minutes of cooking after it has melted to get to the right level of “brown.” Just watch it and turn off the heat when it looks golden brown and smells nutty.
To transform the brown butter into a luscious, whipped vinaigrette you add 3 parts brown butter + 1 part Dijon mustard + 1 part (either) citrus juice or vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper and BOOM. You’ve just made yourself a next-level salad dressing or, in this case, creamy pasta sauce.
NOTE: you can add a little olive oil to thin out the sauce if necessary, for your serving purposes. Makes it extra “drizzle-able.”
Here are a few of my favorite ways to sop up this Whipped Brown Butter Vinaigrette:
- as a dip for crudite or a platter of roasted seasonal vegetables
- as a sandwich spread
- as a sauce alongside some fatty, juicy ribeye
- as a dressing for a chicken wrap or sandwich
- tossed with hot pasta (like we’re doing today)
- as a salad dressing
If you like the sounds of this recipe, you might want to give these a try:
Unstuffed Mushroom and Tortellini Skillet
Blushing Italian Sausage and Rigatoni Pasta Bake
Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Halloumi & Pistachio Dust
PrintCheesy Pastas with Breadcrumbs & Whipped Brown Butter Vinaigrette
A restaurant-worthy pasta that is impressively casual and PACKED with flavor. Salty prosciutto and parmesan, crunchy breadcrumbs, and a to-die-for brown butter vinaigrette come together in a magical way that show how easy it is to transform the most basic pantry ingredients into something truly spectacular.
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- ½ lb. asparagus, trimmed of the woodsy ends and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Olive oil, for cooking
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 6 slices of prosciutto
- 3 slices of any kind of bread you like (I actually use two sesame seed hamburger buns)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 to 3 anchovies (optional but DELICIOUS)
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Two 9-ounce packages of cheese-filled pastas, such as tortellini and ravioli
- 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
- Shaved parmesan, for serving
For the Browned Butter Vinaigrette
- 3 parts brown butter (see the how-to below)
- 1 part vinegar or citrus juice (I use lemon juice or balsamic vin)
- 1 part Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the asparagus pieces on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil to coat well. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until they’ve shriveled, crisped and browned on the tips; about 10 minutes. During the last two minutes of roasting time, push them to the side of your pan and place the prosciutto slices on the pan, just moving them around so they fit. Roast for two minutes to crisp them up, remove the pan from the oven and set aside for now. (If you need to do the prosciutto on a separate pan, that’s fine too.)
- In a large pot, cook the pasta(s) according to package directions in well salted water (like the sea). Drain and return the pasta to the pan. Add the peas and roasted asparagus. Toss and set aside. The oil from the roasting will both season the pasta and help keep it slick.
- Prepare the breadcrumbs: In a medium-to-large skillet set over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil, the minced garlic clove, anchovies (if using) and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for just a minute, stirring the whole time. Tear or chop up the bread into small pieces and bits. Add them to the garlicky oil, toss well, and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and crunchy. Taste and season with a little salt, if you like. Set aside until you need them.
- Make the browned butter vinaigrette: Combine the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy.
- To make browned butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add your butter and let it fully melt. Swirl the pan a few times and let the butter continue to bubble away and brown. You’ll smell it when it’s ready; it should only take a couple minutes of cooking after it has melted to get to the right level of “brown.” Just watch it and turn off the heat when it looks golden brown and smells nutty.
- To serve: Put some pasta on a plate, making sure to get the peas and asparagus as well. Toss with some of the vinaigrette. Alternatively, you can toss the whole pot of pasta/veggies with the vinaigrette. Up to you. Top each serving with some crispy prosciutto pieces, breadcrumbs, and a sprinkling of parmesan.
Notes
To easily determine where to trim asparagus: hold one spear by each tip and gently bend until it breaks. The breakage point is where it naturally changes textures, and you can line the rest of the bunch up with that “test” spear and trim them all to that same length.
Keywords: Brown Butter Vinaigrette
