Desperation Delicious-"Fancy" Buttered Noodles

Do you know who Aaron Kennedy is? Neither did I until I just looked him  up. He is the founder of Noodles & Co. and in one word-brillant! Noodles are about the cheapest thing you can buy (ie: low overhead) and frankly, who doesn't love noodles? Noodles are the blank canvas to create an American down home dish, an Asian inspired entree, or a great Italian bowl. One thing that always amazes me is how  many people order the Buttered Noodles. Buttered noodles? As in butter + noodles? I am pretty sure even  my 15 year old brother could pull that off in the kitchen, but I do get the appeal. There is something really comforting, child-like in butter noodles--And the combination is good. Here I made a "Fancied up" version of buttered noodles- Fancy Buttered Noodles. They look gorgeous-as in dinner party worthy and this hearty dinner takes 15 minutes. Ta da!

Here's What You Need:
6oz of egg noodles (I used No Yolks)
2 TBS flavored butter*
Sea salt  + pepper
Bunch of asparagus

Extra virgin olive oil
Seasoning (I liked Penzey's Trinidad and Garlic Marinade)
Grated parmesan or pecorino romano (A few TBS)

Here's What You Do:

Preheat the oven to 450. Cut the asparagus into 1" pieces. Toss with extra virgin olive oil and your favorite seasoning. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. Set aside. Make the noodles according to the package directions (al dente) drain and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and asparagus. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper-Don't be shy! Then grate fresh cheese over the top (pecorino or parmesan work great). When I reheated this for left overs, I also tossed in a big handful of baby spinach to amp up the greens-YUM!

Kid Tip:

Buttered noodles is a  pretty kid friendly dish, but feel free to sub in your children's favorite vegetable. If they like peas, for example, they would work great here too.


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*Note on butter: I stared longingly at the Black Truffle Butter, but I could not justify paying $12.99 for butter! So, instead I went with the Basil Garlic Butter. It was in the soft cheese section at the grocery store. If your store doesn't have flavored butter, simply soften some butter and stir in your favorite herbs and spices. Also, don't be afraid of the butter! Since 2TBS is 11 grams of fat and this is for four people, the butter fat is spread around enough to keep this in the skinny category! ;)