The BEST Sauces for Noodles
In moderation, noodles can be a part of a healthy diet. To enhance the nutritional value of your noodles, choose whole-grain or vegetable-based varieties. In addition, the dish’s overall health can be affected by the selection of sauce and supplementary ingredients.
Before adding the noodles to the boiling water, add a tablespoon of oil to keep the noodles from sticking together. To prevent the noodles from clumping together while cooking, stir them periodically. After cooking, wash them with cold water to get rid of extra starch.
The kind of sauce and one’s personal preferences determine which noodles to use. While thicker noodles like fettuccine or udon can handle richer sauces, thinner noodles like vermicelli pair well with lighter sauces.
It’s best to reheat noodles in the microwave or on the stovetop with a little sauce or oil to keep them from drying out and becoming mushy.
Use far more garlic than you would think to make the best garlic butter sauce for pasta. This recipe makes enough for a whole head and serves two people, so it’s not a typo. This ingredient transforms from sharp and bracing to warm and cozy when sizzled in melted butter until golden and toasty. It has a savory flavor that is difficult to overindulge in. Take care not to drain the pasta into a colander after it has finished cooking. When necessary, we want that starchy, salty water to adjust the seasoning and loosen the sauce. Err on the side of saucier rather than less since it will thicken while it sits at the table. The optional bonuses are just that: totally optional. As in all Big Little Recipes, less is more here. Consider using roughly chopped parsley, basil, or thyme, grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese, red pepper flakes, or freshly ground black pepper. To let the butter and garlic shine—they are the stars of this show—choose three items, at most. Here are some more pointers for making a successful garlic butter sauce: any butter will work. However, if you’re like me and save some so-called “special butter” for baked potatoes and morning toast (I adore Kerrygold, which has a higher fat content and a sunny hue), now’s the perfect time to use it. After all, the butter is half of the sauce. It’s also acceptable if all you have is salted butter; just reduce the amount throughout the recipe and then add more to taste at the very end. In light of this, I recommend using roughly 1 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for every quart of water when I say to “generously” season the pasta water with salt. However, you can reduce that to two, one, or even half a teaspoon of salt for every quart of water. It all depends on your personal preference. Also, you can eyeball both the water and the salt instead of measuring them. This makes sure the pasta is taken care of. Any pasta shape will excel (thrive! soar!) in this context. Fusilli, rigatoni, or cavatappi are some examples of chunky pasta that I like because they have lots of nooks and crannies where the garlic bits can hide. However, something lengthy and spiraling like bucatini, linguine, or spaghetti would also be fantastic. Go ahead and try the nutty whole-wheat pasta if that’s your thing. Stainless steel skillet with five sides; two sets of Benedetto Cavalieri Italian dried pasta; Banner grass-fed butter (Emma Laperruque)
How to Make Ahead & Store
A lot of these sauce recipes can be prepared in advance and kept in the freezer or fridge for a few days. Just refer to each recipe for complete storage instructions and information on how to prepare ahead of time.
