Brown Butter Tortelloni with Spinach

I take after my late grandma in many ways, but the one attribute that I encounter daily that reminds me of her is our shared love of butter. In the same way people are teased, "Do you want some coffee with that cream?" we were teased about butter. A muffin crumb deserved an extra spreading of butter.

It can be no surprise, then, that I love brown butter pasta dishes. I adore pumpkin ravioli with fried sage, parmesan and brown butter in the fall, but I wanted something fresh and light for summertime. Add green baby spinach and lift the whole thing with the sweet bright acidity of lemon, and you have a pasta dish perfect for a summer's eve.

Ingredients:

5 ounces baby spinach
1 12 ounce package cheese tortelloni
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 ounce Parmesean cheese, grated
Zest of a lemon
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Method:
Bring a heavily salted pot of water to the boil. Cook tortellini according to package instructions; drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet of medium heat. Cook until the butter turns deep golden brown, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in the zest of the lemon and chopped garlic. Remove from heating stir in the reserved pasta water.

Add back in the cooked tortellini and cook over medium high heat until the sauce is thickened. Add the spinach in to wilt, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with grated Parmesan and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Comments

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