5 Incredible Butter Sauces and Which Pastas to Pair Them With

There’s nothing quite as comforting as a bowl of fresh, handmade pasta coated in a creamy butter sauce. It’s an incredibly effective and indulgent way to add a burst of flavour as well as a smooth, velvety texture to any pasta dish. 

Here at Pasta Evangelists, we know a thing or two about butter sauces. We have a range of them on our menu every week. From black truffle to rosemary, garlic and thyme, we’ve selected our favourites for you to try at home. But first, why do pasta and butter make such a delectable duo?

Why are butter sauces and pasta the perfect combination? 

Melted butter clings exceptionally well to the smooth, porous texture of fresh pasta. Moreover, the starchy water released by the cooked pasta acts to thicken the butter sauce, lending a wonderfully creamy consistency. The short answer; it's comfort food at its best.

In no particular order, let’s take a look at some of our favourite butter sauce recipes… 

1. Black Truffle Butter

Truffle is one of Italy’s most notorious culinary delicacies. Known for its distinctive, umami-rich flavour and pungent aroma, this fantastic fungus is incorporated into just about anything in the bel paese; from oil to butter, savoury spreads and even jams (as I learned after a sticky-sweet encounter with fig and truffle jam in the medieval Tuscan town of San Gimignano). It’s captured the taste buds of so many of us in Britain, that not only is it now common to find it on the menus of some of the nations finest restaurants, we even have major retailers stocking a wide array of products championing the tuber. Italians really can’t seem to get enough of its distinctive flavour. And nor can we…

Truffle itself comes in two main varieties, distinguished by its colour. The white kind grows in the northern region of Piemonte, whilst its black counterpart is particularly profuse in the central region of Umbria where the thick, oak woods and rich soils provide the perfect conditions for growing the highly prized Tartufo Nero di Norcia (the black truffle of Norcia). Black truffle is often served as both the base for a butter sauce as well as freshly shaved on top of dishes such as tagliolini al tartufo. And as far as butter sauces are concerned, black truffle butter takes pride of place as the most indulgent. 

How to make black truffle butter sauce for pasta

Chef’s Tip: Rather unsurprisingly, the best tasting butter comes from the highest quality ingredients. As a result, we’d recommend using grass-fed butter. Not only is it healthier, but it also lends a creamier, more robust flavour to the sauce. As far as brand recommendations go, it’s hard not to look past Kerry Gold, which you can find in Waitrose, Tesco and independent grocery shops. 

4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Calories per serving: 170 kcal

Ingredients

• 100g of butter
• 10g of freshly grated black truffle
• Salt to season

You might have noticed our omission of black pepper here. Our head pastaia (pasta artisan) Roberta, says it’s best avoided. In her words: "it ends up overpowering the flavour and aroma of the truffle".

Method 

• Remove the butter from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter. 
• Clean the black truffles thoroughly, and grate them into fine pieces. We’d recommend using a truffle grater here. 
• Add the grated truffles into the butter. While you can use a food processor to speed up the process we’d recommend doing it by hand as you’ll have more control over how combined you want your mixture to be. 
• Add salt to taste.
• Mix until thoroughly combined and then scoop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. From here, tightly roll the buttery mass into a log-like shape, about 1 inch thick. Twist ends to secure and chill until firm. Alternatively, freeze for up to a month and enjoy at a later date. 
• Take out and use when ready. We like slicing ours into easy-to-use disks; they’re convenient and rather cute.

Cooking Instructions

• Cook fresh pasta on a rolling boil (you can find some of our expert tips on cooking fresh pasta here)
• For an individual serving, we recommend using around 25g of truffle butter. 
• Place the truffle butter in a large pan and gently heat until steaming. Once steaming, turn off heat.
• Once cooked, transfer the pasta to the butter. Toss gently to coat. Buon appetito. 

Which pasta should I pair truffle butter sauce with?

Traditionally truffle butter would be paired with strand pasta: tagliolini, vermicelli and even pappardelle. As our head pastaia, Roberta, tells us: "a large surface area ensures maximum absorption of flavour". Admittedly, we also love smothering our black truffle ravioli with black truffle butter which, whilst not in line with tradition, is simply too good to resist.

2. Sage Butter Sauce

Burro e salvia – butter and sage for the anglophones – is a well-known combination in Italian cuisine. Extolled by the Romans for its health-giving properties, the use of this plant goes back quite some time. The Romans even used sage to ward off evil spirits, earning it the moniker ‘holy herb’. This seems to explain its Latin – and Italian – name ‘salvia’, meaning safe. And with Halloween around the corner, we believe it’s worth putting its spirit-warding reputation to the test… And if this fails, well, you’ve always got yourself a delicious sauce to share with whichever ghosts come knocking… 

How to make sage butter sauce for pasta

4 servings 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Calories per serving: 166 kcal

Ingredients

• 100g butter
• 8 sage leaves
• Black Pepper
• Salt to season

Method 

• Remove the butter from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter. 
• Roughly chop the sage leaves and add to butter and cook until they start to crisp (you can even leave some of the sage leaves whole if you like, there’s nothing better than a mouthful of butter soaked pasta with a crispy sage leaf). 
• Season with salt and black pepper. 
• Mix until thoroughly combined and then scoop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. From here, tightly roll the buttery mass into a log-like shape, about 1 inch thick. Twist ends to secure and chill until firm. Alternatively, freeze for up to a month and enjoy at a later date. 
• Cook as per the instructions we included for truffle butter

Which pasta should I pair sage butter sauce with?

Sage pairs particularly well with seafood. Our personal favourite is our lobster & crab tortelloni. Want to make the dish even better? Add fresh samphire. Not only does it add vibrant colour to the plate, but the crisp texture a complements the delicate tortelloni wonderfully. 

3. Lemon & Garlic Butter Sauce

Ah, garlic. This pungent plant is abundant in Italian cuisine. Beautifully aromatic (although, admittedly, less so on the breath) and packed full of antioxidants, it seems like an obvious choice for a butter sauce. The lemon zest adds extra freshness as well as a lovely tanginess that complements the aromatics of the garlic. And did we mention this combination is a potent natural remedy against the common cold as well as a host of other maladies? Then again, as if you needed another excuse to start coating your pasta in copious amounts of garlic butter… 

How to make lemon & garlic butter sauce for pasta

4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Calories per serving: 142 kcal

Ingredients

• 100g butter 
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 
• Zest of one small lemon
• Salt & black pepper to season

Method 

• Remove the butter from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter. 
• Finely chop the garlic cloves and add to the butter.
• Grate the lemon zest. Chef’s tip: It’s important not to apply too much pressure when grating the lemon; the distinct flavour and aroma comes from the yellow rind, not the white, bitter pith underneath. 
• Season with salt and black pepper.
• Mix until thoroughly combined and then scoop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. From here, tightly roll the buttery mass into a log-like shape, about 1 inch thick. Twist ends to secure and chill until firm. Alternatively, freeze for up to a month and enjoy at a later date. 
• Cook as per the instructions we included for truffle butter

Which pasta is best with lemon & garlic butter sauce with?

The zesty punch of the lemon works well with seafood pasta. The citrus, garlic combination also works well with vegetarian pasta, particularly those filled with fresh greens; pea and shallot ravioli would be our recommendation here. 

4. Rosemary Butter

One of the oldest Mediterranean aromatic shrubs in cultivation, rosemary – or rosmarino – has long been a staple of Italian cuisine – and with good reason! It’s often used in roasted vegetables or meat preparations, as well as bouquet garni (a classic herb mixture). With a sweet, pinewood aroma rosemary enriches the flavour of fresh pasta to great effect; even better when it’s infused in creamy butter and melted in the pan. 

How to make rosemary butter for pasta

4 servings 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Calories per serving: 168 kcal

Ingredients

• 115g butter
• 10g (2 ½ teaspoons) of rosemary leaves
• Salt
• Pepper

Method 

• Remove the butter from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter. 
• Remove the leaves from the stem, finely chop and add to the butter. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Mix until thoroughly combined and then scoop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. From here, tightly roll the buttery mass into a log-like shape, about 1 inch thick. Twist ends to secure and chill until firm. Alternatively, freeze for up to a month and enjoy at a later date. 
• Cook as per the instructions we included for truffle butter

Which pasta is best with rosemary butter sauce?

Rosemary complements the rich flavour of roasted poultry. Look no further than a roasted chicken tortelloni. 

5. Thyme Butter 

Greeks and Romans are believed to have added this herb directly to their baths; it was associated with health and vigour, and believed to strengthen and purify the body. As it happens, it’s also an incredibly easy way to add a huge amount of flavour to butter and create a wonderful sauce for pasta. 

How to make thyme butter sauce for pasta

4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Calories per serving: 165 kcal

Ingredients

• 100g butter
• 10g (2 ½ teaspoons) thyme leaves 
• Salt
• Black Pepper

Method 

• Remove the butter from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter. 
• Remove the thyme leaves from the stem, finely chop and add to the butter. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Mix until thoroughly combined and then scoop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. From here, tightly roll the buttery mass into a log-like shape, about 1 inch thick. Twist ends to secure and chill until firm. Alternatively, freeze for up to a month and enjoy at a later date. 
• Cook as per the instructions we included for truffle butter

Which pasta is best with thyme butter sauce?

Thyme compliments earthy flavours well. Our go-to would be any mushroom-filled pasta. Porcini and wild mushroom tortelloni fits the bill perfectly.

So, there it is. A round-up of some of our favourite butter sauces for pasta. Feel free to give these recipes a try and tag us on social media. We’d love to see your creations! That being said, you could just leave the hard work to us...

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