Several years ago when my peanut shellfish anaphylactic son was still fairly newly diagnosed, and my husband recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and related gluten intolerance, I was at a loss of what to feed my family. In addition to gluten, at the time, my husband also had to avoid almonds, beef, and dairy. Have I mentioned that my son and husband are also by nature very picky eaters?! I wanted to tell them they couldn’t be picky on top of their health issues, but they are also stubborn. So what’s a girl to do?!
Luckily we found gluten-free noodles! Thank you Barilla!! They were not only gluten free, but also peanut and shellfish free & not marked for any cross-contamination. So we went with it! One of our first go-to meals for our family during this time was known by our family as Buttered Noodles. We still lovingly refer to what has now become a long-standing family favorite as none other than that same good ‘ol trusty Buttered Noodles. Since my husband couldn’t have butter at the time, and he didn’t like the butter substitute, he would eat his with a safe marinara. He (my husband) has since been able to introduce everything except gluten back into his diet.
Our son, however, loved his with salted butter! To this day, this is how I always make spaghetti. And guess what, it makes everything taste better, whether you end up putting marinara or alfredo on, it brings out all the flavors and is so much more rich! I know it sounds so basic, but truly sometimes the most simple things are the best things!
We have an array of requests from our children on this one: my son adds only shaved parmesan cheese; our next oldest daughter adds marinara and parmesand; the middle daughter adds marinara only; and the toddler is always finicky.
Buttered Noodles
1 full package of your favorite noodles, prepared and drained
1 stick salted butter
Marinara, Alfredo and Parmesan Cheese are all optional
I prepare the noodles per package directions, and drain the water. Then I grab a stick of salted butter and put it on the bottom of the now drained pan. Return the noodles to the pan (it should still be warm/hot from cooking noodles), and began stirring the noodles around the butter until melted and well incorporated. You can turn the heat back up to low if needed, but there is usually enough heat in the noodles and pan to melt the butter even if pulled directly from the refrigerator. This is great for various picky eaters because those that wanted “just” buttered noodles can be served directly from the pan, and those that want sauce or parm added can do so! I just heat the marinara and alfredo in small saucepans for a handful of minutes so they are ready. Voila, buttered noodles! We usually do spaghetti noodles regardless of using alfredo etc., because my kids love to suck the noodles up through their lips ha! We usually serve this with garlic bread and caesar salad.
