The Quick Garlic Noodles I Make at Least Once a Week

My kids loved buttered noodles when they were younger, but as they’ve gotten older, they are more open to trying noodles with different sauces. These garlic noodles have a lot of flavor but aren’t intimidating for young eaters. They’re tasty on their own for lunch or with some grilled proteins in the mix. 

The world is your noodle when it comes to this dish. Personally, I like to use a wide, flat rice noodle when I make them, but egg noodles or even spaghetti work well, too. Just stick to using about 10 ounces of noodles per batch of sauce. 

The sauce is super fast to prepare, making it perfect for lunch or a fast weeknight dinner. First, whisk together some simple pantry ingredients. Then, sauté sliced garlic in some butter in a large skillet. You don’t want the garlic browned, but just softened and aromatic. Add your noodles and the sauce to the skillet, stir everything together, and you’re done!

Tips for Making My Quick Garlic Noodles

• You can use a wide range of noodles for this recipe. Try it with fresh egg noodles, spaghetti, or any kind of rice noodle. Make sure to stir the noodles often as you cook them in boiling water (especially if you are using rice noodles) to make sure they don’t stick together. 
• Move your noodles straight from your cooking pot to the skillet with the garlic butter. This will add some extra liquid to your sauce to ensure the noodles don’t stick together. If your noodles look too dry after you add everything to the skillet, drizzle in more cooking water from the noodles to thin it out. 
• If you want to make this more of a full meal, you could sauté some chicken or shrimp in the skillet before starting the sauce. Then toss the cooked protein into the finished dish. 
• I like Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, which is what I add to my garlic noodles, but add whatever chili crisp you like (or make your own!) or leave it out for a milder dish. 

How To Make My Quick Garlic Noodles

To make four servings, you’ll need:

• 10 ounces rice noodles or other noodles of your choice
• 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon chili crisp, optional
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 to 7 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 green onions, sliced, for garnish

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water per the package directions. If you are using rice noodles, make sure to stir them well as you add them to the pot so they don’t get stuck together. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, honey, and chili crisp, if using. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté just until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. 

When the noodles are cooked through, use tongs to move them straight from the water to the skillet with the butter and garlic. Toss well to combine, then pour the sauce over. Toss again over medium heat until the noodles are well coated. If the noodles seem too dry, add additional noodle cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin out the sauce. 

Serve, garnishing the noodles with the scallions. These garlic noodles store fine in the fridge for a few days, but they will get really firm and stick together. Add some water to loosen them up before reheating in a skillet or in the microwave.