A half decade ago on this special date, I came clean with my favorite pasta dish. At the time, people were shocked that an Italian like myself would choose such an elementary and simple pasta entrée…buttered noodles. Oh well, I can’t run away from who I am.

Sidney made this batch of buttered noodles for me years ago.

But this year for National Pasta Day I figured I would get away from specific dishes and focus on the noodle itself. Pasta is so fun because you can cook with whatever noodle fits your personality at the given moment. So tonight I am counting down my top five favorite pasta noodles.

I could eat pasta every day. Let’s get into my countdown of favorite noodles.

5. Acini Di Pepe – This is the pasta noodle I remember my mom using a lot when she made me buttered noodles growing up. This type of noodle is so small that you eat it with a spoon! Eating it while hot feels great gliding down your throat as it warms your soul.

4. Rigatoni – When it comes to the pasta noodle that is easiest to eat with a fork, rigatoni takes the prize. This tube-shaped noodle is what we buy a lot at our house because Sloan and Beau can use their forks to easily pick at it. If you don’t want to go with traditional spaghetti and meatballs, I think rigatoni is the next best noodle option to pair with your protein.

3. Rotini – If we are talking texture, my favorite noodle is rotini. I love how the corkscrew shape flirts with the tongue and the agreeable experience that ensues when biting down. This noodle also can add flair as often you will see it presented in three different colors.

2. Shells – Please see the photo below for the size of pasta noodle I am referring to. As with rotini, I also like shells for their texture but the main reason why I have this variety ranked so high is because of how they hold sauce. I am a big fan of how the sauce seeps into the enclosure of the shells to produce almost a gusher-like effect. It also provides a noodle-to-sauce consistency that I appreciate.

These are the size of pasta shells that I like most of all.

1. Angel Hair – If a restaurant gives me a choice of pasta noodle, I always opt for angel hair. I like to effortlessly twirl my pasta on a fork and no pasta offers that ease like angel hair. Other pasta noodles like spaghetti and fettuccine can be a little too clumsy for my fork-spinning liking. I think angel hair just provides a sophistication that I enjoy and I think it pairs well with all sauces. My clear favorite indeed!

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I hope you get to celebrate National Pasta Day this evening…I think we all know how that is accomplished 😉🍝. Don’t Blink.

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.