Spaghetti With Brown Butter and Feta (Μακαρόνια με βούτυρο και φέτα)
Feb 3rd, 2009 | By Peter Minakis | Category: Cheese, Greek, Main, Olive Oil, Pasta, Recipes
Last weekend was a busy one. I had a full social calendar, things to do around the house, work on a revamped “Kalofagas” website and attend a Superbowl party on a Sunday evening that’s usually spent quietly at home.
Oh yeah…I was also in the thick of baking, enjoying and sharing artisan bread in five minutes! As a reminder, you have until this upcoming Friday (by noon) to leave a comment and be elligible for a draw to win this fabulous bread making cookbook.
As if bread weren’t enough carbs, I had a craving for pasta but something stripped down, focusing on good ingredients and what the Hell, I was feeling nostalgic.
One of my favourite dishes my mom would serve is a plain spaghetti (Makaronia) that was tossed in butter until slightly browned, then the pasta was drained and tossed in the brown butter with crumbled Feta cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to cap the dish.
Brown butter is a sauce unto itself and in my opinion, under-rated. The next time you’re feeling for pasta yet you want something light, try a spaghetti with brown butter and Feta. Whip up a salad and call it a nice, light dinner where you’ll get to eat Makaronia the way momma made it.
In case you’re wondering, that’s plain white pasta in the photos, the brown butter has given the dish a warm nut-brown colour.
Spaghetti With Brown Butter and Feta (Μακαρόνια με βούτυρο και φέτα)
(per serving)
2 Tbsp. of butter
1 clove of garlic, smashed
handful of dry spaghetti (Misko brand)
extra-virgin olive oil
grated Kefalotyri or Romano cheese
crumbled Feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
- Get a pot of water boiling on your stovetop. When aboil, add a good amount of salt, add your spaghetti and cook according to packet’s instructions.
- In a small pot, add your butter, a little olive oil and the smashed clove of garlic over medium heat. Keep your eye on the melting butter and soon you will see the milk solids begin to foam and quickly dissappear…THIS is where you have to watch carefully.
- Your butter will turn from a golden yellow to a chestnut brown very rapidly. Your goal is to get a nut-brown colour to your butter. Once you have that nut-brown butter, take off the heat, take the clove of garlic out and keep cover to keep warm until your pasta is done.
- When your pasta is cooked to an “al dente”, strain and place in the pot with your brown butter. Toss the pasta to coat and if the spaghetti appears a bit dry, add some olive oil into the mix. Add some grated Kefalotyri cheese and continue to toss until the cheese has blended in with the butter.
- Take off the heat, add some crumbled Feta, a turn of fresh-cracked black pepper and top with some more crumbled Feta and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
The richer, creamier cousin to this dish can be found here.
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© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
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This would be my son’s version of Heaven! I think I’d enjoy it, too!
Everything’s made betta with feta!
That’s corny, isn’t it?! Oh well, I can’t help it. I love feta cheese and miss working in a Greek restaurant where we stocked it by the tall, metal canister-fuls. Yum.
Oh. YUM. I have feta in the fridgernator, and spaghetti in the pantry…hmmmmmmm….lunch?
I’m pretty sure I would like this since I love pasta, burro e parmigiano (pasta, butter and parmigiano) Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best.
Oh goodness, that looks good! I shall give it a try soon. Rich, buttery, salty pasta… mmm..
Buttery pasta with cheese, such an amazing meal!
Simple yet so flavorful… love it. Great for after one of my long runs.
This is one of my favorite comfort foods, Peter. I actually prefer myzithra over feta, but both are SO tasty. I used to make pastas like this when I first learned to cook in middle school and they are still one of my favorites to this day!
Thanks for the lovely comments Peter..theres another fruit in cake waiting
Imarton Panagitsa mou
This is quite a temptation for the month of February when everybody is on ..diet. I am going now to find the kakavia! Hi Peter!
This is just the kind of recipe I need! It’s quick enough to make between teaching and going to school and it’s pasta, butter, and cheese! What else could I possibly ask for! Thank you!
I love food like this. It’s rich and satisfying, yet for me it doesn’t take much to fill me up on heavy foods, so a little goes a long way with me. And if you use a whole grain pasta, you get the fiber and you stay full longer. I think it’s a perfect diet food!
This is totally my kind of pasta dish!
I should have a T-shirt that reads: I HEART feta. This is my favorite kind of dish — so simple and delicious.
This pasta sounds nice and simple and yet so good!
wow, sounds so simple yet so delicious!
First off, Artisan is 5? I think we should start a cult… that book is AMAZING!
And, brown butter pasta is my favorite type of pasta. I usually do it with egg noddles and farmer’s cheese, which is funnily a Pennsylvania Amish-y take on your delicious pasta.
Hi there! This sounds amazingly simple and delicious! Heating butter to brownish colour sounds like making ghee! So is brown butter the same as ghee?
You and your pasta & feta dishes get me every time… I may have to go straight home and replicate that! And agree 100%, browned butter is very much underrated.
My good friend D. loves to add some luncheon meat there too (you know, ZWAN), but I guess you don;t need more calories!
Peter – what an awesome dish. I’m actually glad I stumbled on Ben’s post linking to yours.
I’d love it if you shared a pasta dish with us at Presto Pasta Nights. Next week it turns 100…hint, hint.
I haven't heard of browb butter before, but the garlicky butter with pasta & fresh black peppers sounds really comforting..
the making of the butter sounds a lot like making Ghee (clarified butter).
I can’t believer you commented on my blog! I feel so honored. Also, I love feta and I LOVE your blog and I love you! (was that going too far?) Seriously, this looks great.
NIce recipe.. I remember having something similar with nuts and it was delicious.
So simple, but sure looks tasty!
For the longest time as a kid, I could never figure out why my mom’s pasta tasted different than mine. Then I went to culinary school and discovered brown butter and it was like a light shined down on me… I love tossing pasta in brown butter. I usually use whole wheat pasta and tastes great!
Only problem is, it is so easy to make, I think I make it too much!!!