Parmesan pasta, catchy name huh? It’s practically a staple in our family – what am I saying? It IS a staple in our family! I started making this, or some form of this 25, um 30 years ago. I was living on my own and wanting to make some sort of yummy meal for myself. I pulled out my clean and never used copy of The New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I found a delectable recipe for pasta carbonara.

(Yes, that really is the same exact cookbook that started it all…)

Mmmmmm! I made it. But between the whipping cream, bacon and 4 eggs, this didn’t quite fulfill my goal of finding a yummy, cheap meal- plus it was super fattening, which at that age I wasn’t as concerned about, but still! So after my first attempt at pasta carbonara, I started making my own form of that – no eggs, no heavy whipping cream and usually no bacon- so really, not pasta carbonara! Over the years it has pretty much stayed the same. However, I never measure anything, so usually there is some variation. My oldest son ate it so much, his grandma used to say he was going to turn into a curly noodle. He has continued the tradition of making this meal for himself each week while away at college. It is simple and delicious – you must try this for yourself. It might become a staple for your family too.

Cook pasta following package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Now, as simple as this sauce is, the key is how you mix/heat this. I’m serious. I’ve tried to just dump everything into the pot and for some reason it just doesn’t turn out the same. So my answer to that is to put all of the sauce ingredients into a large measuring cup…

and heat it in the microwave. It normally takes about 2 minutes, but you want to watch it – you don’t want any of that yummy goodness to boil over and end up in the microwave instead of on your pasta!

So I normally microwave it for one minute and check it and then just let it sit until the pasta is finished and then heat it for the next minute once the cooked pasta is drained…

and back in the pot. Pour the completely melted and sort of bubbly sauce mixture over the top…

of the cooked pasta and mix well. Don’t worry if it seems a bit thin, we will fix that next. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. I just use the ol’ Kraft variety because I like the way it melts and that is just how we have always done it. Mix well.

When serving, we grate a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese over the top and if we are feeling particularly fancy, we add some fresh herbs such as basil or Italian parsley.

Mmmmm!

Parmesan Pasta
1 lb. dried pasta
1 stick of butter (I know, it’s a lot but totally worth it)
1/2 cup milk (I use 1%, cuz I’m healthy that way)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish, along with fresh herbs if desired.

Cook pasta following package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce: put all of the sauce ingredients into a large measuring cup and heat it in the microwave. It normally takes about 2 minutes, but you want to watch it – you don’t want any of that yummy goodness to boil over and end up in the microwave instead of on your pasta! So I normally microwave it for one minute and check it and then just let it sit until the pasta is finished and then heat it for the next minute once the cooked pasta is drained and back in the pot. Pour the completely melted and sort of bubbly sauce mixture over the top of the cooked pasta and mix well.

Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and mix well. When serving, we grate a bit of fresh Parmesan cheese over the top and if we are feeling particularly fancy, we add some fresh herbs such as basil or Italian parsley.