Grown-Up Buttered Pasta

SERVES 4

I don’t know a single child who doesn’t love a bowl of warm, buttered pasta—a dish that’s simple, satisfying, recognizable, safe, and comforting. This is my grown-up version, full of lusty garlic and anchovies in a butter sauce built on a white wine reduction. It’s the dinner I make when there’s “nothing to eat” in the house or when I just need my dinner to feel like a hug. For the best buttery sauce, be sure to add your butter and hot pasta cooking water bit by bit to help form the emulsion, like the process used when making beurre blanc.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb [455 g] mafalda corte, reginette, or other short pasta

• 10 Tbsp [145 g] cold salted butter, cubed

  The Butter Book Anna Stockwell

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 8 anchovy fillets

• 1 cup [240 ml] white wine

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Finely grated Parmesan, for serving

• Basil, for garnishing (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups [475 ml] of the pasta cooking water.

2. While the pasta is cooking, in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp of the butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies are mostly melted and the garlic is beginning to lightly brown. Pour in the wine, increase the heat to medium-high, and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet into the wine. Continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add a few cubes of the butter, and stir until a smooth sauce begins to form.

3. Add the cooked pasta to the garlic butter sauce along with ½ cup [120 ml] of the pasta cooking water and a few more cubes of butter. Stir until the butter is melted, then stir in more butter and more pasta cooking water, adding both in small doses until all the butter has been added and your pasta is coated with a smooth and rich sauce. (I just add splashes of the pasta water, but if you want to measure, use ¼ cup [60 ml] at a time.) You may not use all the pasta cooking water, but you’ll need at least 1½ cups [180 ml] to achieve your glossiest sauce.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the pasta among bowls and serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top. Garnish with a few basil leaves (if you wish).

From The Butter Book by Anna Stockwell, © 2026. Published by Chronicle Books. Photography © 2026 by Kate Jordan

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