The Best Pasta Sauce For Dinner In A Flash Only Needs 2 Ingredients

On those nights before shopping day when there's nothing left in the fridge, takeout doesn't have to be the only option. There are always ways around spending excess dough, and to make the most of your resources, it's best to use up what you have before going out for more. It's reasons like this that we swear by keeping a few simple sauce recipes in our rotation using ingredients we already have on hand. While you could spend an hour whipping up a complicated homemade pasta sauce, the best pasta sauce for dinner in a flash only needs 2-ingredients: butter and an herb. 

This simplistic recipe has been used by home chefs of all levels for ages, and it is a classic for a reason. In a world where complex sauces and dressings are dreamed up every day, sometimes it's best to go back to the basics and enjoy food at its most ordinary and delicious. On those days, one of the best sauces you can make is a simple two-ingredient combination of butter and herbs. Versatile, easy, and flavorful, there's a lot that this sauce has going for it, so don't knock it until you make it yourself. From gnocchi to farfalle, it can pair with any pasta of your choice, so the options for dinner are endless.

While many different techniques can end with a rich butter sauce perfect for pasta, one simple way to start is by heating a sliced stick of butter in a pan. (Unsalted is best so you can control the amount of sodium in your sauce). Stir the butter consistently over medium heat until it sizzles, then add in the herbs of your choice. Sage is a great herb to pick thanks to its peppery notes and refreshing lemon flavor, but other options such as basil, rosemary, and thyme are also great. Once your herbs are wilted and fragrant, and the butter golden brown, release from heat, and your pasta sauce is all done. To bring more liquid into the sauce, save your pasta water and add it in a spoonful at a time while the butter is sizzling until your desired consistency is reached. Or, if you have some leftover parmesan, thicken pasta sauce with that instead. It's really that simple. 

This easey cooking process releases the hidden flavors of the two ingredients in the sauce, leaving the browned butter with a toasty, nutty flavor. (And don't forget salt and pepper to taste). And hey, if you want something even easier for tomorrow night, you can try to make store-bought pasta sauce taste homemade next.