I Made Jennifer Garner's Brown Butter & Sage Pasta and It Was Really Good

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Actress Jennifer Garner was once dubbed "The Queen of Nice" but she's also becoming The Queen of the Kitchen. Her "Pretend Cooking Show" has racked up hundreds of thousands of fans since its inception on Instagram in 2017, with many viewers urging her to star in her own real cooking show.

According to Garner, that won't be happening anytime soon but she does make the incredibly easy recipe below in The Last Thing He Told Me, her limited book-to-TV series on Apple TV+. In the show, Garner plays Hannah, a woman who must develop a relationship with her stepdaughter Bailey to find out the truth about why her husband mysteriously disappeared.

Photo byCourtesy of Instagram/Jennifer Garner

In one episode Hannah tries--and fails--to make Brown Butter & Sage Pasta for Bailey. On Instagram Garner has no such difficulties. In fact, she makes the recipe perfectly on her Pretend Cooking Show.

Sometimes, during a quiet take on #TheLastThingHeToldMe set last summer, chunks of @lauradaveauthor’s book played back in my mind like an inner monologue. I really love her writing (although I edited the heck out of this scene here, pardon me, Queen). And, not for nothing, I really love this @poggiotrattoria inspired pasta, which is ready in the time it takes to prepare the noodles. -Jennifer Garner on Instagram

The recipe has only 7 ingredients: linguine, butter, sage leaves, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese, along with salt and pepper for seasoning. The main thing to watch out for is the butter, which can go from brown to burnt fairly quickly.

There are a few ways to avoid this outcome, the easiest of which is to add a teaspoon of neutral oil to the pan before you begin cooking the butter. This will stabilize the butter and stop it from burning. Another simple solution is to keep some of the lemon juice nearby and add a little as soon as you see the butter start to burn:

To avoid burning your butter, make sure to have on hand a bit of lemon juice, perhaps in a little bowl on the side or even from a squirt bottle, for easy access. Adding the cool liquid will take the temperature of the butter down immediately, preventing burnt butter." -Tasting Table

Browning the butter is definitely worth it. Known in French as buerre noisette, brown butter will give your pasta a rich, nutty flavor.

Jennifer Garner's Brown Butter & Sage Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 pound linguine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 fresh sage leaves

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the linguine according to package instructions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Return the linguine to the pot.

2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sage leaves. Cook until the butter browns and the sage becomes almost crispy, about 7 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

3. Add the butter to the linguine and toss to coat.

4. Stir in the pasta water. Cook over medium heat until the water is absorbed. Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper, seasoning to taste.

Notes

If you're cooking for a family you may want to double the recipe.

The sage leaves crisp up and you may want to remove them before adding the pasta to the sauce.

If you don't have a fresh lemon on hand you can substitute about a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half of bottled lemon juice.