I love pasta. My mom, a full-blooded Italian from a very Italian family, made plenty of it for our family growing up. She used the best (and most secret) recipes from my grandpa’s Italian restaurant to make some really delicious dishes. Needless to say, I ate good as a kid and always got plenty of carbs.

I love eating heavy, meaty, saucy Italian pasta. But I also like something much lighter.

I have never met a pasta dish I didn’t like – no matter the noodle, the sauce, or the meat – I eat it all. I salivate over classic dishes such as lasagna or manicotti. I enjoy all sauces, whether it be alfredo, pesto, vodka, marinara, or whatever other Italian concoction is available. I think topping a dish with meatballs, grilled chicken, or Italian sausage is a great way to consume protein and go home with a full belly.

So don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy rich, heavy pasta dishes. But believe it or not, my all-time favorite pasta dish is on the lighter side.

When I tell Sidney that I could eat buttered noodles for a month straight, I am not kidding.

What are buttered noodles you ask? Besides the addition of salt, the name pretty much tells it all. It is by far the most basic and easy pasta dish (well, except maybe for Easy Mac) you will ever make. All you do is boil noodles and add butter and salt. It is simple but good.

Buttered noodles that Sid made for me (with some toast on the side).

My mom made me buttered noodles my entire childhood. There would be summers that I would eat them for lunch every day. When I would get home from playing my high school football games, I would request buttered noodles for my postgame meal. The light, buttery meal would always warm my soul and fill me up.

I don’t think you are ever too old to eat buttered noodles. Sidney makes them for me all the time. Also, luckily for me since I like them so much, I can prepare buttered noodles for myself since it is such an easy dish to make. I will every now and then prepare a pound of buttered noodles for dinner and then have leftovers the rest of the week for lunch. During the season of Lent, buttered noodles make the perfect Friday meal.

Sidney made this batch of buttered noodles too. Look at that garlic bread though!

Sidney has evolved my plain Jane buttered noodles recipe a bit. She will mix in garlic and parmesan cheese, adding a little more taste to the final product. Sometimes we will add a couple pinches of pepper too. By the way, Sloan definitely is her daddy’s child – she loves buttered noodles!

Sometimes simplicity wins out. Don’t get me wrong, chicken alfredo is one of my favorites, but angel hair pasta tossed in butter never fails. Happy National Pasta Day. Don’t Blink.