Brussels And Browned Butter Pasta

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the highest position.

2. 2

   Cut the ends off your Brussels sprouts and peel off any brown or dirty leaves. Once they're clean, slice them in half lengthwise. Place Brussels in a pan lined with tin foil (makes clean up so much easier!) with a 2 splashes of olive oil and 2-3 splashes of balsamic vinegar. Make space on the pan for your 2 cloves of garlic, skins on. Put the pan in the oven, and let everything roast for 10 minutes. Flip your Brussels and garlic cloves, then roast for another 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your Brussels. The garlic cloves should be soft.

3. 3

   While you're roasting, start boiling water for the pasta. Add the noodles once you have a steady boil, and cook to your desired texture.

4. 4

   When the Brussels and garlic are ready, put the Brussels aside in a bowl. Remove the garlic skins, and crush the garlic with a wide knife. Dice it a bit if necessary to break up the garlic even more.

5. 5

   In a large frying pan, brown the butter. Let it simmer for 4-8 minutes (roughly). I usually just go by smell and colour. It will smell nutty once the butter is browned. Remove pan from heat immediately. Failure to remove the pan from the heat results in burnt butter very quickly, not what we want here! Stir the garlic and about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water into the browned butter.

6. 6

   Finally, add the Brussels and strained pasta into the pan with the sauce. Toss with tongs to fully coat the pasta. Add salt and balsamic vinegar to taste. You may also wish to top your pasta with Parmesan cheese, although I didn't have any on hand and it still tasted pretty good :)

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.