Cheesy 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
Scale
- 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