Recipe: Brown butter pasta with pancetta and sage

Pancetta is a favorite ingredient of mine. I love substituting it for bacon and I use it frequently in salads and pastas. I also like cooking herbs and chicken in the grease the pancetta leaves on the pan in order to give it a bit more flavor.
After coming across a simple Butter and Sage Sauce Recipe, I knew  I wanted to incorporate a few more of my favorite ingredients in order to make this a perfect weeknight, no hassle pasta dish. The flavors of the browned butter, pancetta, sage, and garlic really compliment each other well and create a delicious fragrance.

RECIPE: BROWN BUTTER PASTA WITH PANCETTA AND SAGE

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb of whole wheat linguine
- 3 gloves of garlic (minced)
- 10 sage leaves (cut into small strips)
- 4 oz small diced pancetta
- 1/2 cup shredded parmigiano-reggiano
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup of pasta water
- Pepper

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, add 1/2 pound of whole wheat linguine or spaghetti pasta. I like to add salt and oil to the pot of water as well. Follow the directions on the package for the length of cooking time. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water.

In a large pan, add the butter over medium heat and cook until it forms a brown color. Cut ten sage leaves into small ribbon sized strips. Once the butter has browned, lower the heat to medium low and add the pancetta. Allow the pancetta to cook just before becoming crispy and then add the minced garlic and sage. Stir the ingredients together for 30 seconds and then add the drained pasta to the pan. Pour half of the reserved pasta water over the pasta. Toss the pasta with the ingredients and then sprinkle in the parmesan. Toss the pasta contents and add pepper.  If the pasta needs a bit more water, add the remaining reserved pasta water.