Elegant and Easy Creamy Saffron Pasta Recipe

Name: Elegant and Easy Creamy Saffron Pasta Recipe
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 min
Yield: 4 serving
Ingredients: 15 oz pappardelle; 1 shallot; 3 tablespoon butter; ⅓ cup white wine; 1 ½ cup heavy cream; generous pinch of saffron; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley; salt and black pepper

User Reviews

4.2

39 reviews

Good

Prep Time
2 mins
Cook Time
2 mins
Total Time
12 mins
Servings
4
Calories
813 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Elegant and Easy Creamy Saffron Pasta Recipe

Carmen Warren

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This creamy saffron pasta is a bowl of technicolor decadence, straight out of a fine dining restaurant. Rich and creamy with the wonderful floral, musky, earthy, semi-sweet taste of saffron. Undeniably delicious and almost impossible to describe saffron is a taste like no other and here, paired with cream and wine it makes the perfect sauce for flat pappardelle noddles.

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Ingredients

Servings

15 oz pappardelle - see note 1
1 shallot
3 tablespoon butter
⅓ cup white wine
1 ½ cup heavy cream
generous pinch of saffron - see note 2
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
salt and black pepper

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Instructions

Bring a large pan of water to a boil, salt it generously and add the pappardelle.
Meanwhile, peel and chop the shallot.
Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes until they start to soften. about 2 minutes.
Turn the heat up and add the wine, let it bubble and evaporate until it has reduced by at least half.
Turn the heat down to medium then add the cream.
Use a pestle and mortar to grind some of the saffron together with ¼ teaspoon salt. Add this to the cream mixture along with the remaining threads. (see note 3)
Allow the sauce to simmer until slightly thickened and the saffron color has permeated the cream.
Remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and transfer it to the skillet with the sauce.
Add the ¼ cup of the cooking water and the chopped parsley and toss to coat.
Taste the sauce and season with more salt and black pepper as required.
Serve immediately.

Notes

The thick Pappardelle ribbons allow the sauce to really cling, but if you can't find pappardelle then a thick cut tagliatelle or fettuccine will work. Avoid tubular shapes like penne or rigatoni, if you want a small shape then something flat like a farfalle or a spiral Ricciolini.
We know saffron is expensive but it is the main flavor to this sauce, there is really no substituting it here, so be generous and enjoy your special dinner.
Grinding the saffron helps to release the flavor and color. But keeping some of the threads whole gives a wonderful look to the finished dish, as you get flecks of saffron threads on the pasta.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 813kcal (41%) Carbohydrates 79g (26%) Protein 17g (34%) Fat 46g (71%) Saturated Fat 27g (135%) Cholesterol 234mg (78%) Sodium 424mg (18%) Potassium 361mg (10%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 1645IU (33%) Vitamin C 1.1mg (1%) Calcium 98mg (10%) Iron 2.1mg (12%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 813 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	813kcal	41%
Carbohydrates	79g	26%
Protein	17g	34%
Fat	46g	71%
Saturated Fat	27g	135%
Cholesterol	234mg	78%
Sodium	424mg	18%
Potassium	361mg	8%
Fiber	3g	12%
Sugar	2g	4%
Vitamin A	1645IU	33%
Vitamin C	1.1mg	1%
Calcium	98mg	10%
Iron	2.1mg	12%