• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch & Dinner
    • Salads
    • Soups, Stews & Chilis
    • Side Dishes
    • Baking
    • Desserts
    • Drinks & Cocktails
    • All Recipes
  • Menu Ideas
  • Cooking Tips
  • About
  • Contact
  • FREE eBook

Zestful Kitchen | A food blog with healthy recipes and cooking tips logo

Home » Lunch & Dinner » Browned Butter Garlic Noodles

February 2, 2020

Browned Butter Garlic Noodles

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
Overhead image of whole wheat pasta with spinach and Parmesan served in white bowls with wine and parmesan off to the side

Six ingredients and 25 minutes are all you need to create a quick pasta dish that’s FULL of flavor. And these garlic butter noodles aren’t just any buttered noodles…so what sets them apart? Browned butter.

With just enough garlic, a bit of Parmesan, and some fresh parsley and spinach to finish, these noodles are a BIG step up from the classic kids menu offering.

Overhead image of whole wheat pasta with spinach and Parmesan served in white bowls with wine and parmesan off to the side

How to make garlic butter noodles

This recipe is a great example of how a few all-star ingredients can come together to create a dish that’s FULL of flavor in very little time.

  1. Get the pasta cooking—the key is to slightly under-cook the pasta (it’lll continue to cook in the pan with the browned butter). 
  2. Meanwhile, start browning the butter in a large sauté pan.
  3. Add the garlic and pepper to the browned butter (it will bubble and foam up a bit.) 
  4. Drain the pasta (reserving 1½ cups cooking water) and transfer to pan with butter. 
  5. Add the parmesan and some of the reserved cooking liquid.
  6. Add spinach, in batches, and toss to combine. 
  7. Toss in parsley, season with salt, and add additional cooking water as needed.
  • Image of browned butter in a gray skillet on the stove
  • image of browned butter in a skillet on the stove
  • noodles and parmesan in a gray skillet on a stove
  • whole wheat noodles in a gray skillet on the stove
  • tongs being used to pull noodles up out of a gray skillet
  • image of spinach and parsley on top of a bed of noodles in a gray skillet on the stove

What is browned butter?

Browned butter is melted butter that has been cooked over moderate heat to add a deep nutty and toasty flavor. Where does the flavor come from? The flavor comes from toasting the milk solids that are in the butter. Browned butter can be used in a variety of ways including sauces, dips, baked goods and more.

side angle of a two white plates filled with noodles and spinach with wine in the background

How do you make browned butter?

  1. You can use salted or unsalted butter, so whatever you have on hand will work! One thing to keep in mind is to use room temperature butter, or at least butter that isn’t too cold. If frozen butter is used, there’s a risk of uneven browning (and it may splatter).
  2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Continuously swirl pan, or stir butter with a wooden spoon or spatula, to evenly melt and cook the butter. The butter will start to foam, but will eventually subside.
  3. Continue cooking until small brown flecks start to form at the bottom of the pan and the butter starts to smell richly toasted and nutty, 5–8 minutes total.
  4. Watch it closely! The butter can go from lightly browned to burnt in a matter of seconds. Once you see the milk solids start to change in color, keep a close eye. When the color is a deep golden brown, immediately remove from heat and pour into a glass bowl.
grid of images showing the progression of browning butter

Make it a full meal, serve garlic butter noodles with:

  • Chicken skewers
  • Crispy pan-seared salmon
  • Easy salmon cakes
  • Baked chicken meatballs 
  • Turkey meatballs
  • Shrimp 
  • Roasted broccoli 
  • Seared or grilled sausage links
close up image of whole wheat pasta with spinach and Parmesan served in a white bowl with wine and parmesan off to the side

Mix it up! Try these variations/add-ins

  • Add sautéed or roasted veggies (bell peppers, green peas, snap peas, and/or broccoli)
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Lemon zest
  • Fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary)

Latest Video…

side angle of a two white plates filled with noodles and spinach with wine in the background

If you like this recipe, you may also like…

  • Pasta alla Puttanesca
  • Trapanese Pesto Pasta
  • Saucy Gochujang Noodles
  • Miso Pesto Ramen
  • Arugula Pesto Pasta 
Overhead image of whole wheat pasta with spinach and Parmesan served in white bowls with wine and parmesan off to the side

Make sure to tag me @ZESTFULKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM or comment below if you make these Browned Butter Garlic Noodles!

To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can click the button on any of the photos, or the red button on the side bar or below the recipe. Happy cooking!

Print
clock clock icon cutlery cutlery icon flag flag icon folder folder icon instagram instagram icon pinterest pinterest icon facebook facebook icon print print icon squares squares icon
Overhead image of whole wheat pasta with spinach and Parmesan served in white bowls with wine and parmesan off to the side

Browned Butter Garlic Noodles

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Lauren
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 10 cups 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American
Print
Pin

Description

An easy, and flavorful, pasta side dish that comes together quickly! Make it a meal by adding grilled chicken, roasted salmon or grilled veggies.


Scale

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 4 cups spinach
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Season boiling water with 2 tablespoons salt, add pasta and cook 2 minutes less than package directions recommend.

Meanwhile, cook butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat, gently swirling, until butter is golden brown and nutty, 3–5 minutes. Off heat, stir in garlic and pepper and set aside.

Drain pasta, reserving 1½ cups cooking liquid. Add pasta, cheese, and ¼ cup reserved cooking liquid to pan with butter set over medium-low heat. Toss pasta to combine until cheese is melted, adding reserved water by ¼ until you reach desired consistency.

Add a quarter of the spinach and toss to combine, continue adding spinach in batches until combined; add parsley and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste and finish with additional cooking liquid as needed.

Serve with grated Parmesan.


Notes

Store pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. Add additional butter or olive oil to loosen the sauce as needed.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 374
  • Sugar: 0g
  • Sodium: 285mg
  • Fat: 7g
  • Saturated Fat: 5g
  • Carbohydrates: 64g
  • Fiber: 10g
  • Protein: 16g
  • Cholesterol: 20mg

Keywords: Garlic Butter Noodles, garlic butter noodles with spinach, buttered noodles, garlic noodles

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below and tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #zestfulkitchen!

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

You Might Also Like

  • Chewy Cereal BarsChewy Cereal Bars
  • Quick & Easy Instant Pot BroccoliQuick & Easy Instant Pot Broccoli
  • Citrus Marinated Olives and ManchegoCitrus Marinated Olives and Manchego
  • Vegan Fried Rice with TofuVegan Fried Rice with Tofu

Filed Under: 30-Minute Meal, Lunch & Dinner, Pasta & Noodles, Recipes, Sides, Year-Round Tagged With: Quick and Easy, Vegetarian

About Lauren Grant

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carolyn says

    January 15, 2021 at 6:31 pm

    we LOVED this. I used to make buttered noodles for my kids when they were younger. One of my kids asked for it the other day, and I thought I should find a more modern option. This was it! The browned butter is SO good.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

image of a woman in a black shirt

Welcome to Zestful Kitchen!
I'm Lo, a professionally trained Culinary Food Scientist, Journalist, and former food magazine editor. I'm all
about cooking healthy-ish—aka healthy recipes that don't sacrifice on flavor. I'm here to help you find confidence in the kitchen and LOVE what you eat.

Click here to learn more about Lo and ZK

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Search Recipes & Tips

Subscribe for a free eBook on how to store herbs

Footer

text graphic showing eBook details

Subscribe for a free eBook on how to store herbs

Work with Me

Recipe Archive

About

Privacy Policy

Accessibility Statement

Copyright © 2021 Zestful Kitchen - Creative & healthy-ish recipes + cooking tips