Recipe | Easy Buttered Noodles

I’m going to show you how to prepare a very easy meal that you can likely cook with items you have in your pantry and refrigerator right now. While my recipe doesn’t claim to represent the absolute pinnacle of nutrition, it does contain a solid mix of all the macronutrients.

Ingredients

The proportions of these ingredients aren’t supremely important; Use the recipe as a guide, but apply the toppings to taste.

• 1/2 lb pasta (or noodles) of choice, e.g. farfalle, fusilli, macaroni
• 2-4 Tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
• Salt (to taste, more if butter unsalted)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese
• Ground Italian seasoning

Steps

1. Boil pot of water, adding salt for flavor and oil to prevent pasta from sticking
2. Put pasta in water, cooking until al dente or slightly softer
3. Strain pasta completely, then place into bowl
4. Put butter into middle of the pasta, leveraging heat of pasta to melt butter
5. Put a few good shakes of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning into pasta, to taste
6. Stir pasta to evenly distribute melted butter and seasonings
7. Top with a healthy amount of shredded Parmesan cheese and enjoy

Conclusion

That was pretty easy. With the exception of the Italian seasoning, you probably had all of those things already on-hand, and you can run to the store and grab a shaker of Italian seasoning that will surely last you ten years. Macro-wise, you have carbs from the pasta, fat from the butter, and protein from the Parm and the pasta (yes, wheat contains more protein than you might have guessed). If you eat meat, you might apply a meat like chickens or cows or something. If you have more cooking prowess, you also might top it with a little garlic roasted broccoli for an additional bit of protein, fiber, and vitamins (but more steps and ingredients means less easy!).