Brown butter is what you get when you take good butter to its golden, nutty limit, and tonight's shelf has exactly what you need. A handful of pantry pasta, crisp breadcrumbs, and sage make this a complete weeknight dinner that tastes like you spent hours but didn't.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 1160 calories a serving, 20 g protein, 111 g carbohydrate, 72 g fat. From USDA figures for 83% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 8 oz pasta until al dente according to the package, about 10 minutes. Toast 1/2 cup breadcrumbs in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.10 min
2. In the same skillet, melt 6 oz Kerrygold butter over medium heat. Mince 2 garlic cloves and add to the pan along with 1 teaspoon dried sage, swirling constantly until the butter turns amber and smells nutty, about 4 minutes; watch it closely so it does not burn.4 min
3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Add the hot pasta to the brown butter, tossing to coat, then add 1/4 cup pasta water and stir until you have a silky sauce; add more water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.2 min
4. Divide pasta between two bowls, top each with half the toasted breadcrumbs, and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and more pepper.

Note Swap the sage for fresh thyme or rosemary if you have it. Leftovers keep refrigerated for two days; reheat gently with a splash of water. Serve alongside a green salad dressed with lemon and more of that good butter.