If you love a creamy egg noodle side dish, these one-pan creamy egg noodles will become a favourite weeknight dinner side dish! They cook up quickly in a skillet on the stovetop, using simple pantry ingredients and are made without canned soup. You’ll also love that the noodles cook right in the skillet, so there is no need to boil the noodles separately.
This budget-friendly egg noodle side dish recipe is made from scratch with a simple roux instead of canned soup. It’s perfect to serve alongside a simple protein or enjoy them on their own as simply a comforting bowl of noodles to enjoy any time.
This creamy egg noodle side dish would be perfect alongside my Bake and Sauce Cornflake Chicken or with my Mini BBQ Meatloaf. They are lovely with fish, as well, such as this Panko Crusted Cod.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Egg noodles – I’ve used No-Yolks egg noodles here and for testing. Any egg noodle will work here, but a bit of additional broth may be needed with thicker noodles, for example.
How to make cafeteria noodles without soup: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for a complete list of ingredients and full instructions.
- Start by melting the butter, then adding the flour. Stir until the mixture is moistened, but clumpy and cook for 30-45 seconds.
- Add the first portion of chicken broth and whisk together with the flour and butter until smooth.
- Add the spices and stir in.
- Add the milk and whisk in.
- Add the remaining chicken broth to the skillet and stir in.
- Add the egg noodles to the skillet and simmer, stirring regularly.
- Add an extra bit of chicken bouillon to the noodles and stir in (if using).
- Cook until the noodles are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Garnish with parsley and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Recipe video
Recipe tip!
Plan on eating the noodles right up while they are freshly cooked and warm. They do tend to clump up a bit if they sit, especially if you are using the “No-Yolks” egg noodles. If they had to sit a bit and you need to rescue them, drizzle with a bit more milk and gently stir to loosen the noodles.
Variations
- Stir in a bit of lemon juice.
- Stir in a bit of Parmesan cheese.
- Add Parmesan cheese and lots of black pepper, and make it Cacio e Pepe style!
- Stir in a bit of sour cream and some finely diced green onion.
- Stir in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste after adding the milk for a creamy tomato version. Add some dried basil, too if you like.
- Stir in some frozen peas, carrots or broccoli.
- Stir in some leftover rotisserie chicken.
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Get the Recipe: Cafeteria Noodles (without canned soup)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, DIVIDED
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups no-yolks egg noodles, 6oz or any egg noodle
- 1 teaspoons chicken bouillon paste, or 1/2 a bouillon cube, crumbled (optional) *see Note 1 below
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 Tablespoon butter, optional
- salt and pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Tip! These noodles are best served immediately after cooking. If they need to sit a bit, cover the pan, then reheat with a Tablespoon or two of broth or milk to loosen.
- Melt the butter in a medium to large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour has absorbed the butter and the mixture is clumpy. Cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add 1 cup of the chicken broth, whisking as you go. Add the milk and spices to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Add the egg noodles to the skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly. Stir in the additional chicken bouillon (if using) and continue cooking the noodles, stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened (but is still loose and creamy) and the noodles are just tender, about 10-15 minutes. *Taste test the noodles to be sure they are tender. Don't overcook the noodles or they may become mushy. If the sauce becomes too thick before the noodles are cooked, add a splash more chicken broth, as needed to thin the sauce.
- When finished, stir in the parsley and additional butter, if using. Taste and add additional salt as needed, and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
- These noodles are best enjoyed freshly cooked. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or a skillet with a splash of broth or milk to loosen the noodles.
Notes
Stir in a bit of Parmesan cheese.
Stir in a bit of Parmesan and a lot of pepper for a Cacio e Pepe-style noodle.
Stir in a bit of sour cream and chives or green onions.
Stir in some frozen peas toward the end of cooking.
More noodle side dish recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
