By Eric Kim
Updated Feb. 21, 2024
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(1,823)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This nutty midnight pasta is a dream to cook, as it requires just a handful of pantry staples and one pot. Peanut butter (the less fancy, the better) anchors a creamy sauce swathed in umami. Accentuated by a good, salty Parmesan, these noodles recall those cheesy peanut butter sandwich crackers. They make an ideal dinner for one, but the amounts can easily be doubled or quadrupled as needed. For an equally gripping vegan alternative, try swapping out the butter for olive oil and the cheese for nutritional yeast.
Featured in: The Night Owl’s Special: Midnight Spaghetti
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Ingredients
Yield:1 serving
- Salt
- 4ounces spaghetti or 1 individual package instant ramen (seasoning packet saved for another use)
- 2tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1tablespoon finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1teaspoon soy sauce
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)
753 calories; 32 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 92 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 414 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Bring a pot of water to a boil (and salt it, if using spaghetti). Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the noodles and return to the pot. Turn off the heat.
Step
2
Add the peanut butter, butter, Parmesan and soy sauce. Vigorously stir the noodles for a minute, adding some reserved cooking water, a tablespoon or two at a time, until the sauce is glossy and clings to the noodles. Season to taste with salt.
Step
3
Top with more cheese, if you’d like, and serve immediately.
Ratings
4
out of 5
1,823
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Cooking Notes
dimmerswitch
What is more delicious? Eric Kim's writing or his recipes? I vote for both. How is it someone so young can be so skilled and so wise? "The man" mentioned in the article that accompanies this recipe is a lucky one...and destined to be a very well fed one too. This is a splendid recipe. With an ounce more pasta it worked to share, out of a single bowl, with the man I have lived with for 45 years.
LondaR
Use crunchy peanut butter. Divine.
Ben S.
Came out delicious with scallions, Lao Gan Ma and sesame seeds added as a garnish!
WarrenRI
I figured out last year that spaghetti cooks quicker and better in a large saucepan. The water boils faster, the long noodles lay right in, I fan them out from the center, and nothing breaks. So much better than a huge pot of water.
ML
Just made it for lunch. Delicious. Oh how I’m cheering for Eric Kim and his man. Long may you eat and live and love.
rickmac
Sure you can zoosh this up with all sorts of complications, but Eric Kim’s recipe speaks to the heart of midnight pasta in its simplicity and speed of production. At midnight, the wait for boiling water is excruciatingly long enough. This is a no chopping delight I can eat straight from the pot!
NameMichelle
Take it up a notch - use some really good tahini!
TC
Simplified Thai peanut sauce noodles? Great with a teaspoon of Trader Joe’s chili onion crunch added.
Lo
This recipe, along with the sesame krispies, is my stoner dream meal
Shelley
No need to add salt, even using low sodium soy and no salt butter! For kids, I'd leave out the soy sauce. Adding a dash of Sriracha is a great idea.
Jessie
He has a gift <3
LL
Pro tip. Save the dregs of peanut butter jars and plop the hot noodles inside along with other ingredients and swirl or shake. Clean jar and tasty noodles.
Rayna
I am not sure what I expected (peanut butter and cheese, whaaattt?) but it was surprisingly good made exactly as the recipe was written (except we used packaged udon instead of the ramen). We are going to try it again, adding some sauteed vegetables and some green onions to bulk it up a little. Also going to try the vegan option at some point, as well.
Laura
This is delicious and quick! I subbed sharp cheddar for the Parmesan(it’s all I had), added a teaspoon or two of sriracha, and garnished with some furikake. I think scallions or green onions would be great additions to the garnish as well.
Jean
I made this for lunch and it was absolutely delicious! Lunch options were limited and I came across this terrific recipe.
CKE
I was intrigued by this recipe’s simplicity and ingredients. Quadrupled it for my family using a full box of spaghetti. Results were surprisingly excellent and enjoyed by the littles and grownups alike. Definitely will make again. Be sure to use good Parmesan
ada amelia
Heaven, even with gluten free ramen.
chefsacky
Served with cucumber and 1/4 of an avocado. Delish
Sue J
Delicious and easy! I served it with shrimp roasted with olive oil, red pepper flakes and garlic.Added green onions and a grinding if fresh black pepper. Wonderful!
Megan
Delicious!
pigpadre
reading the comments & assessing their value is one of my great joys in strategizing recipes here in Cooking; chile crisp, scallions & lime with the crunchy peanut butter angle were key, as was the perfect Alsatian riesling alongside.
K. Lawson
Any suggestions to make this dish vegan? I was thinking Nutritional Yeast subbed for the Parmesian - thoughts?
Karen L Davis
Oh, my -- why would you make a sauce centered on peanut butter and not use crunchy?! This is a family every member of which regularly sneaks a spoonful of peanut butter out of the jar, and crunchy was all that we had on hand. Loved it as a pasta sauce. Next time, I think I'll use even more peanut butter per each 4 oz serving of pasta :D
Colin WV
This amazing recipe is so dorm room. It’s easy, cheap, and satisfying. I make it with chili-infused noodles for extra zing. Comfort food extraordinaire.
Mary Beth
Add some fresh grated ginger and red pepper flakes. Top with diced scallions and slivered cucumber. Fantastic!
Austin
I made this and used DF butter instead of regular butter, nutritional yeast instead of cheese, GF pasta, coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, and tahini instead of peanut butter. This was so tasty and easy! Perfect midnight snack or midday WFH lunch when you need to put something together quickly. I could see scallions being a great garnish, and not just to add some color to a very brown dish.
momofteens
My kids (teen boys) really didn't like this - I was totally surprised, since they eat most everything.
Ruth
Perfect for a quick lunch using leftover spaghetti. I would never have put peanut butter and Parmesan together, but it is a brilliant combination!
Erin E.
Tasty after an extra grate of parm and a handful of green onion slivers, but gave me a stomachache. Possibly a little too rich for me ):
Norasan
Too gluey for me. When I make it I add more liquid: some water from the pasta pot (cook pasta in less water than normal for a starchier liquid), plus any or all of the following: a whole TABLESPOON of soy sauce; white wine vinegar or white wine, or possibly a splash of sherry; a tiny bit of fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam). If I remember, I also zhuzh it up with minced garlic, lightly sautéed in a neutral-flavored oil, and red pepper flakes. Not fond of sesame oil, or I'd add it, too.
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