Fried Pasta

 

If you are watching your diet and trying to minimize carbs, read no further. Move on and be smart about it. There is nothing to see here. If you do stick around, be advised that this meal will put you into carbohydrate-induced cardiac arrest with the first bite. 

There are only two reasons on earth that I make this meal. First, it is my younger son Patrick's very favorite meal. Not steak. Not tacos. Not burgers. Fried pasta is the birthday meal request that I have been given for the last 27 years in a row.

The second reason I make it is that few things in life taste as good as this. I mean this meal is a caloric disaster of epic proportions. Eat this and they will be able to see your ass from the International Space Station. But one bite and you are hooked. Fried pasta, garlic, parmesan cheese...OH, MY! How a few simple ingredients can elevate a meal to heights unimagined.

Creamette, a company started in 1912 in Minneapolis, makes the most perfect pasta for this meal. Dumpling Egg Noodles are always my first choice. They get super hard and crispy on the outside....and they are creamy soft on the inside....almost like eating a crispy, baked potato made entirely of egg pasta.

A word about the best cooking method for this dish. I have always used a large electric fry pan with a cover. I like it because it does a perfect job of maintaining 350º for the duration of the cook and it holds 2 bags of egg noodles with ease. That 350º is the perfect temp to get a crispy exterior and a creamy, soft interior. Also, the cover holds in the heat....crisping the exterior and melting the cheese. You can use any pan with a cover for similar results....the only challenge being maintaining a constant 350º.

The recipe below is the one I use for Patrick. It's a double helping....because Patrick always consumes almost all of the 24 ounces of pasta in a single sitting. If your crowd is a little less hungry, you can cut the recipe in half (if you use a smaller pan).

INGREDIENTS

2, 12-ounce bags of Creamette Egg Dumpling Noodles

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 

2 tablespoons butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided 

Garlic salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook until al dente.
2. Drain pasta thoroughly in a colander.
3. Turn electric fry pan to 350º. When heated, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and butter to the pan. When butter is melted, spread oil/butter across bottom of pan and add egg noodles and spread out in a single layer. Spread minced garlic and 1/2 cup of cheese on top of noodles. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until bottom is crisp.
4. Uncover fry pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over pasta. Then flip all of the noodles. Sprinkle turned pasta with another 1/2 cup grated parmesan. Cover pan and cook for another 8-10 minutes until that side is crisp.
5. Uncover pan. Season to taste with garlic salt (go easy....parmesan has a lot of sodium). Cut into 8 sections with a spatula and serve.