How can you turn an ordinary bag of egg noodles into something truly spectacular? Simply toss those egg noodles with a creamy sauce that uses butter, finely chopped fennel, Irish whiskey, and just the right amount of heavy whipping cream to transform plain, basic, nothing-all-that-special noddles, into something you most assuredly won’t soon forget.
Y’all, I was today years old when I realized that egg noodles do in fact go bad. And I’m not talking, “I’m sure no one will notice bad.” I’m talking, “Oh my gosh, that is not a normal smell that should ever come from any type of noodles bad.” So, here’s my little tip. Clean out your pantry. Those noodles that you’ve had in there since 2018, well, let’s just say that it’s about time they made friends with your trash can. And the sooner, the better. Seriously, if you’re going to make this dreamy, decadent, irresistible, creamy Irish whiskey sauce with fennel, you definitely want to make sure that you have noodles that have been produced within at least the past year or two on hand. And if you find yourself without any noodles at all in your pantry, I certainly won’t judge you for pouring this sauce over mashed potatoes, rice, or even a homemade biscuit. You do you.
Ingredients:
Noodles:
- Cold Water
- 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
- 1 (12-oz.) Bag of Extra-Wide Egg Noodles
Irish Whiskey & Fennel Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Medium Bulb of Fennel, Finely Chopped (Approximately 2 Cups)
- 1/2 Cup Irish Whiskey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper (Additional for Serving)
- 1/8 Teaspoon of Freshly Ground Nutmeg
- 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
Directions:
Noodles:
- Fill a large pot 3/4 full with cold water. Add the sea salt and bring to a boil over high heat.
- When the water comes to a boil, dump the egg noodles into the water, stir to combine, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender.
- Drain well in a colander.
Irish Whiskey & Fennel Sauce:
- Place the butter and chopped fennel in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the whiskey, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the heavy whipping cream. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour 3/4 of the sauce over the drained noodles. Add 1 tablespoon of the parsley and stir well to combine. Serve in a large pasta bowl, family style. Pour the rest of the sauce over the noodles and garnish with the remaining parsley and some additional freshly ground black pepper.
Suggestions:
- You can use any type of butter you choose for this recipe. I used Salted Irish Butter. If you use unsalted butter, you may need to add more salt. You can always add more salt to taste, no matter which type of butter you use. Make it your own. Whatever tastes good to you.
- Be very careful when you pour the whiskey into the skillet. Alcohol and an open flame can be very dangerous.
- If you would like to lighten this recipe up a bit, replace the heavy whipping cream with half and half. Or, if you would like, you can thin down the cream sauce with a bit of reserved water from the boiled noodles.
- A bit of fresh parsley really helps to brighten up these noodles, however, you can substitute dried parsley if it is all that you have on hand. Add it to the sauce along with the whiskey and other seasonings so that it had time to rehydrate.
- This pasta is best served right away. It will still taste great later on, however, the sauce will break down.
Improvements:
- Add crispy crumbled bacon or shredded rotisserie chicken to the noodles.
- If you’re not a fan of fennel, replace it with a finely chopped sweet yellow onion.
- Garnish the noodles with finely grated Irish Cheddar before serving.
- Serve these noodles alongside these Grilled Lemon Pepper Marinated Chicken Tenders or these Paprika & Oregano Marinated Pork Chops.
Ingredients:
- Cold Water
- 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
- 1 (12-oz.) Bag of Extra-Wide Egg Noodles
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Medium Bulb of Fennel, Finely Chopped (Approximately 2 Cups)
- 1/2 Cup Irish Whiskey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper (Additional for Serving)
- 1/8 Teaspoon of Freshly Ground Nutmeg
- 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
Directions:
- Fill a large pot 3/4 full with cold water. Add the sea salt and bring to a boil over high heat.
- When the water comes to a boil, dump the egg noodles into the water, stir to combine, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender.
- Drain well in a colander.
- Place the butter and chopped fennel in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the whiskey, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the heavy whipping cream. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour 3/4 of the sauce over the drained noodles. Add 1 tablespoon of the parsley and stir well to combine. Serve in a large pasta bowl, family style. Pour the rest of the sauce over the noodles and garnish with the remaining parsley and some additional freshly ground black pepper.
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Make sure to check out all of the other great Sunday Funday recipes for “Noodles” below. A huge thanks to A Day in the Life on the Farm for hosting this event.
- Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Beef Chow Fun
- Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Creamy Irish Whiskey Butter Noodles with Fennel
- Culinary Cam: Longevity Noodles
- Sneha’s Recipe: Maggie Noodle & Veggie Cake
- Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Semolina Soup Noodles
- A Day in the Life on the Farm: Vegetarian Drunken Noodles