Say Goodbye To Bland Buttered Noodles — Give Them A Grown-Up Upgrade With This Sauce

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Looking for a way to finally use up those loose soy sauce packets that have been floating around your pantry since the last time you ordered Chinese takeout? Look no further than this quick buttered noodles upgrade. Buttered noodles are the darling of picky eaters of all ages, the simplest of comfort foods, a no-frills meal built to satisfy. Recently, soy sauce buttered noodles have gone viral on social media, and it's no mystery why. This one transformative ingredient instantly delivers umami saltiness and depth without any extra prep steps. In classic buttered noodles, the starchy pasta water acts as a binding agent and luscious thickener, creating a glossy, clinging sauce. When the richness and body of the butter meet the palate intrigue of soy sauce, the result is a flavorful upgrade even adults will love. Plus, this meal is ready in minutes for busy weeknights, and ultra-affordable for the end of the pay period. 

To make it, simply cook the pasta in salted water as you normally might until it reaches al dente, reserving a splash of the pasta water. Then, stir a generous knob of butter and a few shakes of soy sauce into the still-warm pan, folding together to coat. That's it. Pro tip: Boiling the pasta in less water than normal will yield a thicker, starchier, more concentrated water upon which to build the creamy pan sauce. In such a stripped-down dish, ingredient quality matters even more. Here at Tasting Table, Kikkoman and Lee Kum Kee are our go-to soy sauce brands for their rich depth and complex flavor profiles. 

Word to the wise: Keep the salt content of your butter and soy sauce in mind here. Regular soy sauce arrives fairly salty, which would pair better with an unsalted butter variety. Or, if you're working with a reduced sodium soy sauce, then salted butter might work better to make up the difference. Since the pasta is the vehicle for soaking up all that buttery soy sauce flavor action, its shape mustn't be overlooked, either. The intricate ribs of radiatore pasta or the cups of orecchiette would hold on to more sauce for a savory burst in every bite. 

Feel free to add other complementary ingredients into the mix too, such as sauteed garlic, cracked black pepper, or grated Parmesan. Stirring grated Parmesan into the finished dish will create a thicker cream sauce and up the umami ante, as both soy sauce and Parmesan contain natural MSG. Other condiments of Asian cuisine could also enhance your soy sauce buttered noodles. We've long held that fish sauce is the secret ingredient for umami-packed buttered noodles, and that fish sauce (or darker oyster sauce) could even be used in tandem with the soy sauce.

In a Reddit thread dedicated to buttered noodles upgrades, one foodie swears by a combination of "butter, soy sauce, chili paste, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. I also put in lots of chopped scallions and garnish with sesame seeds." Try turning up the sweet heat with a dollop of Korean gochujang. Or, keep it simple and top your soy sauce buttered noodles with a dollop of chili oil crunch and a jammy soft-boiled egg. Side dishes like this refreshing spicy Korean cucumber salad or this toothy Japanese seaweed salad would pair fabulously.