Easy Buttered Noodles

Buttered noodles are the side dish that rescues dinner. Everything cooks in one pan, and the starchy cooking liquid turns into a silky butter sauce, so there is no draining required. I first made these on a late night movie night, and they have been on repeat ever since.

More Easy Pasta Sides:  Garlic Parmesan Pasta  |  Garlic Butter Pasta  |  Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Before You Get Started

There is no colander in this recipe, which means the sauce is made entirely in the pan. These four things are what stand between silky noodles and a sticky clump.

• Stir often, not occasionally — With no draining step, the noodles need to keep moving so the starch stays in the liquid instead of gluing them together.
• Save half the butter for the end — Stirring it in off the heat is what makes the sauce glossy instead of greasy.
• Stop while a little liquid remains — That liquid is the sauce. If the pan goes dry, the noodles will taste flat and look dull.
• Wait to salt until the end — Broth concentrates as it reduces, so seasoning early is the fastest way to oversalt the whole pan.

recipe OVERVIEW

How to Make Buttered Noodles

See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions

The whole thing happens in one deep skillet, and the only real skill involved is paying attention to the liquid. Here is how it goes.

1. Bring the liquid to a boil

Add the water, broth and half of the butter to a large, deep skillet over medium heat. 

Chicken broth gives the noodles the most flavor, but vegetable broth works just as well if you want to keep it meat free.

2. Add the noodles and lower the heat

Stir in the noodles and drop the heat to medium low. 

You want a steady simmer rather than a hard boil, which would cook the outside of the noodles before the centers are done.

3. Stir and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes

Stir frequently with tongs or a wooden spoon. The noodles will absorb most of the liquid, and what is left behind will thicken into a glossy sauce as the starch releases. 

• Timing: Egg noodles are ready in about 12 minutes. Spaghetti, linguine and rotini all take longer and may need a splash more liquid, so start checking a few minutes past the package time.

4. Finish with the rest of the butter

Turn off the heat, add the remaining butter and toss until every noodle is coated. Then taste, season with salt and pepper, and add fresh parsley if you want the color.

How to Season Buttered Noodles

Plain buttered noodles are a blank canvas, which is exactly why they work for picky eaters and exactly why they can taste like nothing at all. Think of seasoning in three levels and stop wherever your table wants you to.

• Level one: salt and pepper, done properly — Season after the liquid has reduced, taste, then season again. Freshly cracked black pepper makes a bigger difference here than it has any right to.
• Level two: garlic and herbs — Add one or two cloves of minced garlic to the liquid at the start so it softens and mellows as the noodles cook. Fresh parsley at the end keeps it bright.
• Level three: parmesan and pepper — Stir a quarter cup of freshly grated parmesan into the pan while there is still a little liquid left. The cheese and the starchy liquid turn into a light, clingy sauce. This is how I make them when the noodles are the whole point rather than the side.

Variations and Add-Ins

Build flavor into the broth: Soften diced carrot, onion, celery and garlic in the pan before you add the liquid, then toss in a pinch of dried thyme. It adds five minutes and makes the noodles taste like they simmered all afternoon.

Make it stroganoff style: Swap beef broth for the chicken broth and stir a few spoonfuls of sour cream in at the end instead of the second half of the butter. If that sounds like your kind of dinner, my Beef Stroganoff is the full version.

Turn it into a meal: Stir in frozen peas during the last three minutes and add shredded rotisserie chicken or seasoned ground turkey at the end, then finish with parmesan. You get a complete one pan dinner without dirtying another dish.

Add a little heat: A pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic gives the butter sauce a low background warmth.

What to Serve With Buttered Noodles

These noodles are at their best next to something saucy, because that buttery base soaks up gravy and pan juices beautifully. They are also the fallback side when dinner is a breaded cutlet, and nobody wants to think too hard about it.

Here are some of our favorites:

• Beef Tips and Gravy
• Swedish Meatballs
• Brown Sugar Baked Pork Chops
• Chicken Schnitzel
• Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Garlic Butter Green Beans

More Simple Pasta Recipes

• Angel Hair Pasta
• Pan Fried Noodles
• Lemon Butter Pasta
• One Pan Lemon Garlic Pasta
• Creamy Cheese Spaghetti

Recipe

Easy Buttered Noodles

4.77 from 13 votes

Kristin Maxwell

Egg noodles simmer right in butter and broth until the liquid thickens into a rich, glossy sauce. There is no draining and no second pot, and the whole thing is on the table in about 20 minutes.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Print RecipePin RecipeReview Recipe

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup butter 1 stick, divided
• 12 ounces egg noodles or spaghetti/linguine (more time required)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh minced parsley optional

Save this recipe

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Email *

Save

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, bring the water, broth and half of the butter to a boil.
• Add the noodles and reduce the heat to medium low. Stir frequently with tongs or a wooden spoon for 12 to 14 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is cooked.
• The remaining liquid will be thick and will become the sauce. Add the rest of the butter to the pan, turn off the heat, and stir to coat.
• Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with fresh minced parsley if desired.

Notes

• Stir often: There is no draining step, so the starch stays in the pan and the noodles need to keep moving to avoid clumping.
• Do not cook the pan dry. A little remaining liquid is what becomes the sauce.
• Season at the end. The broth concentrates as it reduces, so salting early leads to oversalted noodles.
• Parmesan buttered noodles: stir in ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan at the end, while a little liquid remains.
• Garlic buttered noodles: add 1 to 2 cloves of minced garlic to the liquid at the start.
• Other pasta shapes: spaghetti, linguine and rotini all take longer than egg noodles and may need an extra splash of liquid.
• To double: double the noodles and butter, but add only about 50 percent more liquid. Use a pan at least 12 inches wide and 3 inches deep.
• For a lighter version: reduce the butter by half.
• Storage: refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat with a splash of broth or water. Freezing is not recommended.

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 8gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 88mgSodium: 294mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 508IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Have you tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was by leaving a review or sharing on Instagram with the tag #yellowblissroad