Pasta Database

Emilia-Romagna · butter · thin

Best pasta for butter and sage

Brown butter with crisped sage leaves. The filled-pasta sauce. It stays out of the way of the filling.

Region
Emilia-Romagna
Base
Butter
Texture
Thin
Shapes that hold it
23
Classic plates
7
Butter and sage, served on pasta

What it asks of a shape

Butter and sage is a thin butter-based sauce. It wants a filled parcel; the sauce only dresses it, an egg dough, soft and rich, the northern match for butter and cream, and a ribbon, with the flat surface a rich sauce needs. The ranking below scores every profiled shape on those traits, then the shape's own sauce notes break the ties.

What it is

Main ingredients
butter, fresh sage leaves, Parmigiano Reggiano, pasta cooking water
Place of origin
Emilia-Romagna

Butter and sage is the simplest dressing in the Italian kitchen. The cook melts butter slowly in a wide pan. Fresh sage leaves go in once the butter sizzles. The leaves crisp and lend their scent to the fat. Some cooks let the butter brown a little. Emilian cooks keep it pale, because burnt butter turns bitter. A spoon of pasta water turns the fat into a light coating sauce.

The dressing belongs to home cooking in Emilia-Romagna. It is the classic partner for filled pasta served dry, such as tortelloni with ricotta and Parmigiano. Tortellini stay in broth, but tortelloni and ravioli take butter and sage. Cooks layer the pasta in a bowl, dress each layer, and finish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Ravioli with ricotta and spinach are a common festive pairing. The pasta should be coated, never drowned.

23 shapes that hold it

Agnolotti, uncooked, on linen

Agnolotti

Stuffed · Piedmont

A rich meat filling wants the smallest possible dressing: roast juices, melted butter and sage, or a broth.

Cappellacci, uncooked, on linen

Cappellacci

Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna

A sweet pumpkin filling wants brown butter and sage, or a light meat ragu in the Ferrara style.

Caramelle, uncooked, on linen

Caramelle

Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna

Butter and sage, or a light cream, or a few roast juices.

Casoncelli, uncooked, on linen

Casoncelli

Stuffed · Lombardy

Butter cooked with pancetta and sage, then grana.

Cjarsons, uncooked, on linen

Cjarsons

Stuffed · Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Brown butter and grated smoked ricotta.

Corzetti, uncooked, on linen

Corzetti

Hand-formed · Liguria

The stamped relief holds a thin sauce in its grooves.

Gnocchi, uncooked, on linen

Gnocchi

Hand-formed · All of Italy

Soft, absorbent, and heavy, gnocchi need a sauce that is rich but not chunky: butter and sage, gorgonzola cream, a smooth tomato, pesto, a fine ragu.

Mezzelune, uncooked, on linen

Mezzelune

Stuffed · Trentino-Alto Adige

Butter, browned, with parmesan, sage, or chives.

Pizzoccheri, uncooked, on linen

Pizzoccheri

Ribbons · Lombardy

Buckwheat is crumbly and earthy, so the shape is built for one thing: butter, melting alpine cheese, and vegetables cooked in the same pot.

Ravioli, uncooked, on linen

Ravioli

Stuffed · All of Italy

The filling carries the flavour, so the sauce stays simple and smooth: brown butter with sage, a light tomato, a little cream, or a broth.

Tagliolini, uncooked, on linen

Tagliolini

Ribbons · Piedmont

Thin and delicate, so the sauce must be light and quick.

Tajarin, uncooked, on linen

Tajarin

Ribbons · Piedmont

The pasta is the point, so the sauce is a film: melted butter, truffle, the juices from a roast.

Tortelli, uncooked, on linen

Tortelli

Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna

Brown butter and parmesan for almost all of them.

Tortelloni, uncooked, on linen

Tortelloni

Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna

A mild ricotta filling wants butter and sage, brown butter with parmesan, or a light tomato.

Culurgiones, uncooked, on linen

Culurgiones

Stuffed · Sardinia

A rich potato and cheese filling under a thick semolina skin.

Pansotti, uncooked, on linen

Pansotti

Stuffed · Liguria

Walnut sauce.

Fazzoletti, uncooked, on linen

Fazzoletti

Sheets · Liguria

A wide thin sheet with maximum surface.

Maccheroncini di Campofilone, uncooked, on linen

Maccheroncini di Campofilone

Ribbons · Marche

So thin that they absorb whatever they are dressed with, and so fragile that the sauce must be added, not tossed.

Tagliatelle, uncooked, on linen

Tagliatelle

Ribbons · Emilia-Romagna

A wide porous egg ribbon holds a meat ragu on its surface and absorbs the fat, which is why Bologna refuses spaghetti for the same sauce.

Tortellini, uncooked, on linen

Tortellini

Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna

Made for broth.

Cappelletti, uncooked, on linen

Cappelletti

Stuffed · Emilia-Romagna

In broth, like tortellini.

Garganelli, uncooked, on linen

Garganelli

Tubes · Emilia-Romagna

Egg dough, ridges, and a bore, so they absorb and hold a rich sauce: ragu, cream with peas and ham, a butter and prosciutto dressing.

Fettuccine, uncooked, on linen

Fettuccine

Ribbons · Lazio

A ribbon has a broad flat face, so butter, cream, and cheese emulsions coat it evenly and a ragu rides on top.

Classic plates with butter and sage

Every dish in the shape profiles that names this sauce, with the shape it is made on.

Every classic plate, by shape and sauce

Sources