Cowboy Butter Pasta (Print Version)
Creamy, garlicky pasta in a lemon-herb butter sauce with smoky paprika and a touch of chili heat.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz linguine, spaghetti, or fettuccine
→ Cowboy Butter Sauce
02 - ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
07 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
08 - Zest and juice of 1 lemon
09 - ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
11 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 - ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
→ Optional Additions
13 - 1 cup shredded cooked rotisserie chicken or grilled steak
14 - Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
15 - Lemon wedges, for garnish
# Preparation Steps:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining. Set the drained pasta aside.
02 - In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly golden.
03 - Stir in the Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is well blended and aromatic.
04 - Fold in the chopped parsley, chives, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine evenly throughout the sauce.
05 - Transfer the cooked pasta into the skillet. Toss to coat the noodles evenly, adding the reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce reaches a glossy, creamy consistency that clings to each strand.
06 - If using shredded chicken or grilled steak, fold it into the pasta now. Cook for an additional 2 minutes until the protein is heated through.
07 - Serve immediately, garnished with extra fresh herbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and lemon wedges alongside.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce comes together in one skillet while your pasta boils, so dinner lands on the table in under thirty minutes without fuss.
- That combination of smoked paprika, lemon, and Dijon creates something that tastes like you spent hours when you barely spent twenty minutes.
02 -
- Do not walk away from the garlic in the butter, it goes from golden to bitter in seconds and there is no coming back from that.
- Saving the pasta water is not optional here, without it the sauce will feel greasy instead of creamy and cohesive.
03 -
- Toss the pasta with the sauce off the heat for the last thirty seconds, the residual warmth is enough and you preserve that fresh herb flavor.
- Grate fresh parmesan over each individual plate rather than the whole skillet, so everyone gets that just grated texture.