Grown up buttered noodles are here to save the day.
Do you have a go-to nostalgic kid food? That food that you’d always eat even after a serious food strike? The one your parents would give into just so they were sure you didn’t die from lack of calories, forget about nutrition? For me it was plain white rice. No soy sauce, no seasoning, no anything but delicious plain white rice.
For my childhood best friend, it was buttered noodles. Whenever we’d have a play date, that’s what her mom would make us because it was literally the only thing she would eat. After my very first bowl, I was hooked. What’s not to love about a bowl of buttery carbs, made with love?
How to make buttered noodles
- Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water a couple minutes less than the time state on the package. We’re going to finish cooking the pasta in the sauce so that the noodles soak up even more flavor.
- Make the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, brown the butter with the garlic until the butter foams and turns golden brown. The garlic will be toasty too. To make the sauce extra silky, add 1/2 cup of the boiling pasta water and bring to a boil to emulsify everything together.
- Add the pasta. When the pasta is done, use a pair of tongs to move the pasta from the pot to the pan with the brown butter sauce. You don’t need to drain the noodles or dirty a colander.
- Toss, toss, toss. Toss everything together and turn up the heat to reduce the sauce until it is thick and glossy.
- Make it rain. When the sauce is glossy, remove the pan from the heat and make it rain parmesan. Mix it all up so that cheese melts and enjoy.
Buttered noodles, slightly grown up
This is a little updated version of those buttered noodles, made just a touch more grown up with nutty toasty browned butter, garlic, and a generous amount of parm. They’re super comforting and so easy to make. Mike said it was the best bowl of noodles I’ve ever made and you better believe that it’s going in our weekly rotation now that fall weather is here to stay. I don’t know what’s cozier that cuddling up on the couch with warm bowls of buttered noodles.
Best butter
It’s not amazing right now to talk about expensive ingredients, but if it works for your budget, you need to try grass fed butter like Kerrygold, Maple Hillor best of all, Smjorif you can get it. I tried Smjor on our very first trip to Iceland almost 10 years ago and I’ve never forgotten the taste. There really is no comparison between generic blocks of butter and artisanal grass fed butter.
Garlic butter noodles
If you love buttered noodles, you’re going to love garlic buttered noodles. Everyone knows that butter noodles are delicious but if you want to up your cooking game and make something that you crave again and again, garlic butter noodles is where it’s at. Cooking garlic in butter makes it mellow and irresistible – your house will fill up with ALL the delicious smells. These garlic butter noodles are doubly good because the butter is browned for an extra layer of nutty toasty flavor. Showering everything with a generous amount of parm is never a bad finish.
How do you make butter noodles better?
- Brown the butter. You won’t believe how much flavor you’ll get from browning butter. Brown butter is deeper, richer, and somehow tastes even more buttery
- Parmigiano Reggiano. Forget the stuff that comes out of a green can and get parmigiano reggiano from Italy. It can be a bit more expensive but the taste difference is unbelievable. It’s the secret to making the best butter noodles.
- Toppings. Don’t forget the toppings – a little bit of chili flake and some coarse ground black pepper can add some warming heat. Adding freshly chopped Italian parsley is not only pretty but adds freshness and brightness too.
Steph
Grown Up Buttered Noodles: Garlicky Brown Butter Parmesan Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces pasta of choice I used bucatini
- 5 tbsp butter divided
- 4 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta 2 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve 3/4 cups pasta water and drain.
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While the pasta is cooking, melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, swirling, until the butter foams, smells nutty and toasted, there are golden brown solids, and the garlic is lightly golden. Remove from the heat and stir in the last tablespoon of butter.
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Carefully add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the melted butter – and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking or swirling often to emulsify the pasta water and butter, about 1 minute.
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Add the pasta to the pan and cook, turning the heat up, tossing occasionally, until pasta is al dente and the sauce reduces and becomes thick and glossy, adding pasta water as needed, about 2-3 minutes.
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Stir in the cheese and toss well to melt and combine, thinning with extra pasta water if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy immediately.
Estimated Nutrition
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 322
