Buttered noodles
Tender egg noodles tossed with butter, parmesan and a splash of pasta water, the simplest comfort food there is and the perfect first thing to cook.
- 20 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.05 a serving
- 480 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 12 oz egg noodles
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 480 calories, 16 g protein, 62 g carbs and 19 g fat, and costs about $1.05 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No egg noodles? Fettuccine or penne works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, cover and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Dolly’s tip: Salt the water well. It should taste like the sea, and it’s the only chance the noodles get to be seasoned.Add the noodles and stir for the first minute so they don’t stick together.
High heat
Cook them as the package says, until tender with a tiny bit of bite. Taste one to check.
High heatTimer: 7 min
Scoop out ½ cup of the cooking water with a mug, then the noodles in a colander.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Dolly’s tip: Don’t rinse them. The starch on the outside is what helps the butter cling.Put the noodles back in the warm pot with the butter and until it .
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Add the parmesan and of the cooking water and until glossy. Season with pepper and parsley and serve.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
