First of all, I had to google how to spell “cheesy.” I wasn’t sure if it was “cheesy” or “cheesey,” and really, both don’t look right to me. Apparently “cheesy” is the correct spelling, though, according to google, so who am I to question that.
Second, this isn’t health food, so let’s not pretend that it is. I mean, the healthiest thing in this whole dish is the garlic, and there’s only one clove of it in the dish, so… that should give you an idea of where this falls on the “I feel good about eating this” scale.
That said, sometimes you just need a dish like this. Sometimes you want to make mac and cheese from a box, but you decide that maybe making this is a tiny bit better, if only because you know what’s actually going into your body. (Seriously, what is that cheese packet made out of? It’s like neon orange.)
I call dishes like this “babysitter food,” because it’s the type of thing I’d whip up when I was babysitting back in the day (heyyy high school), after I’d convinced the kids that yes, they really did need to go to bed even though their parents weren’t home. (Of course, I’d generally let them sneak in an extra 30 minutes of Veggie Tales beforehand…)
So next time you’re feeling like having something a little indulgent, or you simply have zero ingredients to make any semblance of a real meal — try this out. You won’t be disappointed. (Unless garlic sometimes gives you heartburn, like it does to me. Ouch.)
Cheesy Garlic Noodles
serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
- salt
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
- parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in a big handful of salt and cook noodles according to package instructions.
- While the noodles are cooking, combine butter, olive oil and garlic into a small pan over low heat (lowest heat possible!). Cook until butter is melted and garlic is fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
- When pasta is done, drain it and transfer to a bowl. Pour the butter, oil and garlic mixture over the top and toss to combine. Add in cheese to taste (I like a couple handfuls) and toss to combine.
It literally doesn’t get any easier than that.
