Frugal Foodie Mama: Brown Butter Pumpkin Alfredo

This creamy & decadent Brown Butter Pumpkin Alfredo sauce with fettuccine is perfect fall comfort food...

Up until today's post, I had never made brown butter before... or used it in a recipe. And honestly? I have no clue why. For some odd reason, I had always been intimidated by the thought of making it.

Maybe it is because I had it in my head that making brown butter was some sort of delicate, fancy French cooking technique that I was sure to mess up. (I mean, the French do refer to it as beurre noisette- sounds fancy, right?) But that couldn't be farther from the truth, you all.

Brown butter is so super easy to make! It literally consists of one ingredient- unsalted butter. And if you can simply swirl butter in a pan for a few minutes, then can you too can successfully make brown butter. ;) Looking back, I feel silly now that I avoided trying to make it for so long.

For my very first recipe on the blog using brown butter, I decided to add it to a decadent, creamy homemade Alfredo sauce. But this isn't just any Alfredo sauce, folks. It is a dreamy, comforting pumpkin Alfredo sauce that is perfect for fall...

So why use brown butter in this Alfredo recipe and not just simply melt the butter & be done with it? The brown butter adds a deeper level of richness that plain melted butter just doesn't.

Plus, brown butter tends to have a nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the pumpkin in this cheesy pasta sauce.

A few tips for making this rich & creamy Alfredo sauce:

I simply paired this homemade Brown Butter Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce with fettuccine, but it would also be amazing served over gnocchi or cheese ravioli.
Not a big fan of pumpkin? Trying swapping out the pumpkin puree in this sauce for pureed butternut squash instead.
You could totally skip the crispy sage leaves, but as your friend I have to strongly advise against that. ;) Trust me- the crispy sage is a game changer for this dish.
When it comes to the Parmesan cheese in this sauce, don't skimp! This sauce deserves a good quality shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese. My personal favorite to use in this sauce is Sartori Shaved Classic Parmesan.

Yield: Serves 6-8 Author: Carrie Robinson

Brown Butter Pumpkin Alfredo

prep time: 10 mins cook time: 30 mins total time: 40 mins

ingredients:

3 tbsp unsalted butter
3-5 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
1 cup of pumpkin puree
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese, + additional cheese for garnishing
Salt & pepper, to taste
8-10 fresh sage leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
8-12 oz of cooked fettuccine noodles

instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the butter. Continuously swirl the butter in the pan until it becomes light brown in color & smells nutty- about 3-5 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and add in the minced garlic. Saute for about 2 minutes. Using a whisk, add in the pumpkin puree and heavy cream. Turn the heat down to medium & continue simmering until thickened. Once thickened add in the Parmesan cheese & whisk until smooth.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the fettuccine according to the package directions & drain.

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add in the sage leaves & cook 2-3 seconds per side until crispy. Immediately transfer to a paper towel lined plate & sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Set aside.

Once the sauce is ready, add in the cooked pasta and toss well. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese & the crispy sage leaves. Enjoy!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Created using The Recipes Generator