Christmas Is All Around Us

I’m turning into a regular foodie here, it’s ridiculous. But when you discover fresh produce and all its potential, it’s hard not to become obsessed with finding things to make with it.

This healthy and inexpensive eating option was inspired by the Buttered Noodles dish at Noodles & Co. Except, Noodles & Co. will charge you upwards of $6.00, and isn’t as healthy for you as my version. Take that, fine dining.

First you need to choose a noodle. We choose bowtie pasta because it has a fun shape. In my experience, though, it takes more time to thoroughly cook, so if you are really pinching pennies you might stick with egg noodles or macaroni or something that won’t take up as much energy to prepare.

Next, you need a good olive oil. Or even an average olive oil. I’m not an olive oil connoisseur (yet), but the darker, more virginy ones tend to have more flavor, or so I’ve heard.

The toppings are the best part. Here we’ve used a farm fresh tomato, basil picked from our lovely garden, and a bit of shredded parmesan cheese. But it can be equally tasty without the tomato, and using dried crushed basil instead. I wouldn’t omit the cheese if I were you.

So, one or two cups pasta, cooked to your preference.

Optional diced tomato (or perhaps another veggie?).

Olive oil of any type really.

Basil, either chopped fresh or from the spice rack.

Shredded parmesan cheese.

Additional flavorings, such as garlic salt, table salt, etc.

Simply mix the ingredients, and you’re good to go!

Our favorite drink to go with this dish (and any other dish really) is our cold brewed herbal tea:

We get a box of Celestial Seasonings tea bags for about $4.00, which makes about four or five pitchers. Simply fill the pitcher with hot/warm water from the tap, add three or four tea bags (and some sugar at this point, if you really must), and pop it in the fridge to cool and steep. We never take the bags out, they just float around in the pitcher til it’s empty, then they are fed to the worm farm. We prefer any of the fruit flavored teas, though I’m sure a cold-brewed peppermint tea or floral tea would taste great too.

Last time I went to Noodles & Co., I was disappointed in the taste of their buttered noodles. My oily noodly dish is just so much tastier. And cheaper.