Meet Cowboy Butter Spaghetti: The 20-Minute Dinner We Can't Stop Making
Take buttered noodles up a notch.
There are few simple dishes more comforting than buttered noodles—although it’s humble and simple, the combination hits the right note every time. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong to sticking with a recipe that works, we found a way to give buttered noodles a hefty dose of substance and flavor.
Meet Cowboy Butter Spaghetti. It requires a few more ingredients, steps, and care than buttered noodles, but it’s an upgrade you don’t want to overlook. The process only takes 20 minutes, so you can explore a new recipe and still have dinner on the table quickly.
Why Allrecipes Community Members Love Cowboy Butter Spaghetti
As an acid reflux girlie, I can attest that it can be tough to find a pasta sauce without tomatoes or a lot of spice. Anyone who enjoys extra acidity or spice can absolutely incorporate cherry tomatoes (or even sun-dried tomatoes) to the mixture, and add more than just a pinch of the red pepper ingredients.
Although Cowboy Butter Spaghetti is simple enough to serve as a side dish, you can add protein (such as shrimp, vegetables, chicken, or bacon) to turn it into a main course. Allrecipes community member Kacey enhanced her dish with chicken sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed onion and zucchini, and some fresh spinach at the end. Round out the meal even more by serving your spaghetti with garlic bread, or take Allrecipes community member RecipeGuru’s suggestion and serve with steamed broccoli or asparagus, or even a salad.
How to Make Cowboy Butter Spaghetti
To make Cowboy Butter Spaghetti on your own, you’ll need spaghetti, softened salted butter, and heavy cream, as well as a handful of everyday flavor enhancers: parsley, fresh lemon juice, garlic salt, smoked paprika, chopped parsley, brown or grainy mustard, fresh thyme, kosher salt, black pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, and red pepper flakes. Here's a quick overview of how it's made:
- Make the compound butter, then chill it for two hours or up to overnight.
- Boil the pasta until al dente, then drain. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.
- Melt the butter on the stove, then add the cream and remaining ingredients.
- Stir in the cooked spaghetti and the reserved pasta water.
