Cafeteria Noodles (+Video)
Come see why this recipe is going viral on Tik Tok! These old-school Cafeteria Noodles are a nostalgic, comforting and super easy side dish recipe that everyone loves!
A CLASSIC, FLAVORFUL SIDE DISH
This recipe for Cafeteria Noodles is going viral on Tik Tok right now for good reason – they taste amazing! These are the perfect side dish for any night of the week and they pack a lot of flavor! Served at schools and cafeteria restaurants back in the day, they are a budget-friendly recipe that everyone will love!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Absolutely! If you want to make this a whole meal-in-one, you could add some ground beef, chicken (ground, grilled or rotisserie) or even turkey! You could even add some veggies like peas, mushrooms or steamed broccoli.
I haven’t tested anything other than dried egg noodles so I can’t say for sure if others will work. For best results, follow this recipe as written.
The theme of this recipe is chicken flavor as we use chicken stock and chicken bouillon so I do not recommend using an other soup other than cream of chicken. But if you decide to experiment, please let me know!
This question is debatable. Since this has been around since at least the 70’s, it is theorized that they are called this because they were served in school cafeterias or cafeteria-style restaurants.
We love topping this with parsley (for some color) but you can also top with chopped green onions or some parmesan cheese for some extra flavor.
This is one of those recipes you have to make as written for it to turn out as it should. Chicken bouillon cubes are very inexpensive so I recommend purchasing it. They can be used for adding so much flavor to chicken dishes!
Yes.
You could serve it with roast chicken, pork chops, Ritz cracker chicken, or chicken tenders.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- chicken stock – you can also use chicken broth. Chicken stock has a slight stronger flavor than the broth. You can use low sodium or no-sodium here if you are concerned about the sodium levels.
- chicken bouillon cube – you can use the powder or the cube here. I find the cubes cheaper. I haven’t tried this with the better than bouillon paste but I imagine it would work the same way. Use whatever the equivalent of one cube would be. Again, you can choose a lower sodium option if you prefer.
- egg noodles – these can be regular eggs noodles or the no yolk egg noodles. They all work with this recipe.
- cream of chicken soup – this recipe is chicken flavored so I haven’t tried it with other cream soups but I imagine a cream of mushroom would work with this. If you wanted to add a stronger flavor, I imagine you could use cream of onion or cream of celery. As I’ve said earlier, you can certainly use low sodium options here.
- salted butter – I have only used real butter not margarine. You could use unsalted butter for this as well to keep down the sodium levels.
HOW TO MAKE CAFETERIA NOODLES:
In a large pot with a lid add the chicken stock and bouillon cube and bring up to a boil over medium high heat. When the stock comes to a boil add in the egg noodles and stir.
Let the stock come back up to a boil then add in the cream of chicken soup and stir. Bring up to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the stick of butter. Cover with a lid and let sit for 20 minutes.
Top with parsley if desired.
Serve!
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Original recipe by @carols_cookin
Cafeteria Noodles (+Video)
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 16 ounces egg noodles
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter
- parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot or deep skillet with a lid add the chicken stock and bouillon cube and bring up to a boil over medium high heat.
- When the stock comes to a boil add in the egg noodles and stir. Let the stock come back up to a boil.
- Add in the cream of chicken soup and stir. Bring up to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the stick of butter.
- Cover with a lid and let sit for 20 minutes. Top with parsley if desired. Then serve!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- We have not tried this with anything but egg noodles and no yolk egg noodles.
- You can add some meat and/or veggies for more substance, if desired, see suggestions above.
- Top with parsley, green onions or parmesan.
- If you are sensitive to sodium, try low or no sodium options.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
You MUST trust the process on this recipe. I know it looks like the water to noodles ratio is wrong but trust me, it works every time. I leave out the butter. At times I add left over chicken or some keilbasa at the end. This is so easy and a total crowd pleaser.
I was skeptical but tried it anyway. I added more water than it called for and ended up draining some of it before adding the soup. After it was done I added diced ham and broccoli and my kids ate it like there was no tomorrow.
I have to say I had my doubts about this one but that ended the second it hit my mouth. I used Better Than Bullion and it worked well.
This one is a definite keeper.
It’s one of those ones where you have to trust the process – ha! I’m so glad you gave it a try!
I’ve made this recipe several times. It’s fantastic. I’ve also tried this with a cream of mushroom soup & with a cream of chicken mushroom soup. Both of those were great! I used the chicken bouillon cube & a mushroom stock base diluted to manufacturer’s directions. The result was very good. I will be making it again. I also want to try “regular” pasta, like penne or any other short pasta.
I love hearing all of that Christine!! And please let me know how it goes with the pasta – I’d love to know!
Brandie, it worked out well with Penne, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Mushroom Broth & a Chicken Bouillon cube. It was very good!
I’m staying with my son at the moment. Tomorrow, I’ll make it as prescribed in the recipe & serve it with my homemade meatloaf.
Wonderful! Great to know – thank you Christine!
Hi! Do you drain the noodles at some point? Like before you add the Cream of Chicken soup?
Nope 🙂
kind of sorta like garlic buttered noodles. I will try this and i bet Delish
I have never heard of this nor seen it or tasted it , but is sounds so easy and a good budget dish for these days . My only thought as I read about it that I would like to see a veggie for color and to cut the starch aspect . Maybe some frozen peas which o do not cook but only thaw in running hot water in a sieve and shake dry .
This is the original circa 1970’s recipe meant as a side dish. I didn’t want to stray from this popular & classic original since it’s the one everyone is looking for. There are lots of ways to change it up, like with any recipe, and I give lots of ideas above on how you can change it or add other things to it. Let me know if you try it! 🙂
I spotted this while looking up your chicken noodle casserole that my daughter loves, and I thought I’d give it a shot. She loved it, so I’d call it kid-tested and approved, which is high praise from an autistic child. 🙂 Thank you for passing this classic along! It was super easy and since I could cover it and leave it on the stove for a while, it was ready quickly when my daughter-the-hobbit decided she wanted Second Lunch. Always a plus when you can quickly stave off the hangry!
Hahaha ‘daughter the hobbit’ – I love it! Thanks so very much Elizabeth! So thrilled y’all enjoyed this one – especially the hobbit 😉