The Unexpected Ingredient That Will Up The Flavor Profile Of Your Sauce

Nothing hits the spot like a herbaceous, hearty, carb-loaded bowl (or three) of pasta. Whether you like turkey lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, sweet potato gnocchi, or a Never Ending Pasta Bowl from Olive Garden, there's no wrong way to eat pasta. Inspired by Italy, the motherland of pasta, there are countless regional pasta recipes from all across the nation. According to Taste of Home, some regional pasta dishes include Thai chicken pasta from Georgia, Noodle Kugel from New York, and Shrimp Orzo from New Mexico, just to name a few.

There are a million and one ways to prepare a pot of pasta — triple cheese, no cheese, double-baked, al-dente boiled, slow-cooked with meat, or maybe even vegetarian. You can top pasta with lemon zest, or perhaps garnished with flash-fried herbs, and of course, you can never go wrong with a spot of grated parmesan.

But what really makes a pasta dish great is its sauce. And as it turns out there's one surprising ingredient that will round out your world-famous pasta sauce.

If you're looking to make a creamy pasta dish that the whole family will love, consider adding butter to your next recipe, especially if you're making a dish with jarred pasta sauce and have less control over ingredient portions.

Pasta dishes are often made with acidic ingredients like tomato, onion, and lemon. While these acidic ingredients offer a zesty kick to any dish they're added to, too much acid can lead to an unbalanced flavor profile. According to Taste of Home, the fats in butter cut through vegetables' acidity adding a creamy, balanced complexion to the pasta's flavor. Butter also acts as an emulsifier bringing all of the elements of the sauce together without separating physically or muting important flavors.

And good news for vegetarians and vegans, Tofu Bud says that real butter can be substituted for most plant-based butter! Creamy, buttery, well-balanced pasta for all!