Cheap & Easy Parmesan Noodles

When I was little, I used to love my mom's spaghetti. I perfected the recipe to my own tastes when I moved out of the house. In between a gluten sensitivity kicking noodles out of the house, and my cooked tomato allergy, I said good-bye to spaghetti and spaghetti sauce.

When we discovered a brand of rice pasta that is not grainy feeling and that makes perfect noodles, my daughter came up with a variation of the plain old buttered noodles that the entire family loves! This recipe for Parmesan Noodles is a perfect substitution for Spaghetti, especially when we add fresh tomato chunks on top!

• 16 oz. Rice Noodles
• 8 Tblsp. Unsalted Butter
• Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Rice noodles have come a long way in the 11 years since we first went gluten-free. We have discovered two brands that offer an excellent rice noodle. Criteria: Must not be grainy, and must not fall apart or overcook easily. We used to use the Tinkyada brand, which we found at Whole Foods. Since moving to an area that does not offer a Whole Foods, we have discovered the De Boles brand. We have found the De Boles brand at Wal-Mart, our local health food store, and most recently added to Smith's Food and Drug. (Also known as Kroger, and Fred C. Meyers, and Fry's in other locations of the country.)

July 2011 update:

Wal-Mart is no longer carrying the De Boles brand. But I recently found Tinkyada rice noodles at my new local Wal-Mart! We enjoyed those last night for the first time in quite a while!

Goes to show you that one little voice can make a difference when added to others! Keep telling the stores/companies what you want, they will listen!

Although freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (found in the refrigerated section) can be quite pricey, cans of grated Parmesan that are on the aisle shelf do NOT work, and compromise the taste.

1. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. This is usually something like: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and continue to boil for 7-10 minutes until tender.
2. Drain noodles, and return to pot. If you rinse your noodles, make sure to use hot water to maintain the noodle temperature.
3. Add one stick of butter (8Tblsp.) to the pot of hot noodles, and cover.
4. Allow for the butter to melt completely. About 10 minutes.
5. Add shredded Parmesan cheese to the buttery noodles and stir in thoroughly, allowing it to melt completely.

This would be the time to add in any additions to suit your tastes. We have added chopped garlic or garlic powder, chopped parsley, and even a heaping spoonful of ricotta cheese to add variety to this recipe. We love to garnish ours with fresh avocado chunks and tomato chunks,

Serve and enjoy!