Amish Cabbage Noodles

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the egg noodles according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving about a half-cup of the starchy pasta water.

If you’re adding bacon, crisp it up in your large skillet over medium heat. Once crunchy, remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon but leave the glorious bacon fat in the pan.

Add the stick of butter to the hot bacon fat (or just melt the butter if going meatless). Toss in the diced onions and cook for 3 minutes until translucent. Stir in the chopped cabbage. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage shrinks down, turns tender, and gets those beautiful golden-brown caramelized edges.

Turn the heat down to low. Add the drained egg noodles and the crisped bacon back into the skillet with the cabbage. Toss vigorously to coat everything in the melted butter. If it looks a little dry, splash in a tablespoon or two of your reserved pasta water to help the butter cling to the noodles.

Remove from the heat. Season heavily with salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. The pepper is key—it cuts through the richness of the butter and elevates the sweet cabbage.