PASTA WITH MINT AND PARMESAN

Pasta With Mint and Parmesan image

The pairing of pasta with mint and Parmesan is a good one. There is something about the lightly assaultive yet somehow sweet nature of mint that is unlike any other herb. Older cuisines use it occasionally, but it is rarely seen as a major player. In this dish, however, softened by butter and cheese, mint converts a basic but undeniably heavy combination into an easy yet complex pasta dish best described as refreshing. To the inevitable question, Can I use olive oil instead of butter? my answer is that you can, but you will completely change the nature of the dish; it won't be bad, but it won't be as good. Better, I think, to cut the butter back to two tablespoons. But because this sauce is cut with the pasta cooking water, the butter is spread nicely throughout, and it really isn't a huge amount per person.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories dinner, easy, quick, pastas, main course, side dish

Time 20m

Yield 3 to 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 5

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Ingredients

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne, or long pasta, like linguine or spaghetti
1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons), cut into pieces
1/2 cup chopped mint leaves
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. When it boils, cook pasta until it is tender but not mushy. Drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
Toss pasta in a warmed bowl with 2 or 3 tablespoons cooking liquid, the butter, mint and half the cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve, passing remaining Parmesan at the table.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 640, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 87 grams, Fat 21 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 25 grams, SaturatedFat 12 grams, Sodium 401 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams