Pasta Burro e Parmigiano

The simplest Italian pasta after aglio e olio. Dry pasta, cold butter, grated Parmigiano Reggiano. No sauce, no technique beyond timing. The result is a creamy, rich coating that depends entirely on ingredient quality and correct execution.

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 320g dry pasta (spaghetti or linguine)
• 40g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 60g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, freshly grated

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to 1 minute less than package time — slightly underdone, it will finish off heat.

2. Reserve pasta water Before draining, scoop out 150ml of pasta cooking water. The starch content is essential for emulsification.

3. Combine off heat Drain the pasta. Transfer immediately to a warm bowl. Add the cold butter cubes. Toss rapidly — the residual heat from the pasta and a splash of pasta water will melt the butter into a glossy emulsion. Add pasta water 2 tbsp at a time to control texture.

4. Add cheese Add the grated Parmigiano. Toss again until fully incorporated. The cheese should dissolve into the butter coating, not clump.

5. Serve Serve immediately. Optional: a crack of black pepper.

Notes

Cold butter is not optional. Room-temperature or melted butter produces a greasy result rather than an emulsion. The cold-into-hot technique is the same principle used in French beurre monté.

The pasta water acts as the binding agent. Insufficient starch = broken sauce. Reserve more than you think you need.

Cost Context

Three ingredients, all priced. At Italian supermarket rates (Q1 2025): pasta-secca (€1.65/kg), burro (~€8.50/kg), parmigiano-reggiano (€17.50/kg). Total for four servings is approximately €1.90–2.00 — roughly €0.48 per serving.

The Parmigiano is the dominant cost. Substituting grana padano reduces cost by roughly 30% with minimal flavour impact at this application.