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Pasta Fontina

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Submitted by BlackTigger

Pasta Fontina is a five-ingredient Italian linguine dish tossed with grated Fontina and Asiago, browned butter, and fresh parsley. Nutty, rich, and on the table in under half an hour.

YIELD

4 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

25 min

READY

40 min

This is the pasta you make on a weeknight when you want something that tastes far more impressive than the work involved. Five ingredients, one skillet, one pot of water. The whole trick is the brown butter: unsalted butter melted in a wide skillet and swirled until the milk solids turn the color of toffee and throw off a nutty, almost hazelnut aroma. Pull it the second it hits golden brown. A few more seconds and it turns acrid.

While the butter browns, a pound of hot linguine goes straight from the boil into a warmed bowl. Grated Fontina does the melting, its buttery Alpine funk softening into strands against the pasta. Asiago brings the sharper, salty edge that keeps things from tipping into too-rich territory. Drizzle the browned butter over, toss hard, scatter minced parsley, and eat right now.

Pro Tips

  • Warm the serving bowl with hot pasta water first. A cold bowl kills the cheese melt instantly.
  • Reserve half a cup of starchy pasta water before draining. Splash in a few tablespoons if the toss feels dry; it emulsifies the butter and cheese into a glossy coat.
  • Grate both cheeses fresh on the large holes of a box grater. Pre-shredded bagged cheese has anti-caking starch that refuses to melt cleanly.
  • Watch the butter. Swirl the pan constantly and listen for the foam to quiet, which signals the browning stage.

Variations

  • With black pepper: Crack a heavy hand of black pepper over the top to turn this into a cacio-e-pepe cousin.
  • Garlic brown butter: Toss a smashed garlic clove into the butter as it browns, then fish it out before tossing.
  • Sage: Drop 6 fresh sage leaves into the butter for the last 30 seconds of browning for a classic Northern Italian twist.

Ingredients

¼ 113.4
POUND G ASIAGO CHEESE
grated
1 237
¼ 59
CUP ML PARSLEY LEAVES
fresh, minced
½ 226.8
POUND G FONTINA CHEESE
grated
1 453.6
POUND G PASTA, LINGUINE

Directions

While you are cooking the pasta, melt butter in a large skillet and cook, stirring, until it just turns brown.

Meanwhile, toss the cheeses together.

Drain pasta, place in a large warmed pasta bowl.

Sprinkle with cheeses, drizzle with browned butter and toss well.

Serve at once with parsley sprinkled over the top.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 259g (9.1 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 1159 57% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 73g 112%
Saturated Fat 45g 226%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 217mg 72%
Sodium 810mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 29%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Sugars g
Protein 78g
Vitamin A 47% Vitamin C 8%
Calcium 66% Iron 24%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free, Good source of fiber
 

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