Cafeteria Noodles
Come see why this recipe has gone 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 has gone viral on social media for good reason – they taste amazing! The pictures just don’t do them justice. From the pictures they just look like regular ole buttered egg noodles but they aren’t! These are the perfect side dish for any night of the week and they pack a lot of flavor!
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!
If you’re out of the canned soup, you can make your own homemade version with this easy Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup.
This question is debatable. Everyone seems to have their own opinion on it. Since this has been around since at least the 60’s and 70’s, it is theorized that they are called this because they were served in school cafeterias or cafeteria-style restaurants.
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.
Sure, add some cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken, shrimp, leftover pork, beef, etc. This is more of a side dish, but can easily be increased and adding protein is super simple.
You could serve it with roast chicken, pork chops, Ritz cracker chicken, or chicken tenders.
Absolutely! I kept the original recipe here but I have made this with about a teaspoon or so of garlic powder and it was delicious. I didn’t measure it since I tend to just add and taste and add more as needed.
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. If you prefer, you can even make a Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup.
- 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. Use as much or as little as you prefer. You don’t have to go with exactly the same amount as I use.
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 until fully melted. Top with parsley if desired.
Serve!
Craving More Recipes?
- Cafeteria Chili
- Tik Tok Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Tik Tok Cinnamon Rolls
- Tik Tok Grinder Salad Sandwich
- Tik Tok Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Butter Swim Biscuits
Originally published: November 2022
Updated photos and republished: April 2024
Original recipe by @carols_cookin
Cafeteria Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 16 ounce bag egg noodles
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup)
- parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot or deep skillet with a lid add 4 cups chicken stock and 1 chicken bouillon cube and bring up to a boil over medium high heat.
- When the stock comes to a boil add in 16 ounce bag egg noodles and stir. Let the stock come back up to a boil.
- Add in 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup and stir. Bring up to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 stick salted butter.
- Cover with a lid and let sit for about 15-20 minutes. Stir again then top with parsley, for garnish (optional), 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.
- I think adding some garlic to this would be delicious! Garlic powder would probably mix in the best. I would start with a teaspoon and go from there.
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.
This is a delicious side dish that doubles as comfort food. THe sauce is so creamy and full of flavor. No extra seasoning is needed!
I cooked my noodles a few extra minutes before adding the butter at the end.
I served this with chicken cordon bleu from the butcher counter at the grocery store. The chicken was extra scrumptious dipped in the sauce from these noodles.
My husband could not get enough of these noodles and has insisted that this become part of our regular meal rotation. Excellent side dish paired with English peas!
We don’t eat a lot of meat, so this is actually a perfect whole meal for the 2 of us! I’ve used Cream of Garlic Mushroom & Cream of Celery (not at the same time) the few times I’ve made these-sooo yummers! I also add a splash or so of heavy cream & that makes these noodles so dreamy & creamy! Very economical, too. We didn’t have good stuff in our cafeteria in the early 80s! Thanks for the recipe!
Love hearing that!! Thanks so much!
Delicious! There was extra broth here I may use the 12oz bag of noodles next time. Thank you for sharing!
Turned out so good and everyone really enjoyed it – thank you!
I’m going to make this recipe. The ingredient list says egg noodles, but your photo ingredient card says No Yolk egg white dumpling. Which one works better?
Use whichever you have
Good
Used a 12 oz bag the first time because it’s all I had. Adjusted to 3 cups of stock instead of 4. I added 1 tablespoon of better than bouillon instead of a cube and a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. At the end I added a splash of heavy cream. The second time I added cut up fresh mushrooms. This is a good basic recipe to customize to your liking. Thank you!!
They don’t make 16oz. I have bags of egg noodles from Minnesota, only 12 oz. Can I still use the same recipe?
Hey! I checked with my friend in Minnesota, she says she gets them at Walmart. I asked her because she makes these all the time. She talked to her mother and she buys them from Kowalski’s Market. I don’t know if that helps you out. Also, if it helps please see my ingredient photo above so you know what to look for. I haven’t tested this with 12 ounces, so I can’t say for sure and I wouldn’t want anyone to waste ingredients because I said it was good to go. It may be a bit too much liquid so you’d kind of have to experiment and play with the recipe if you go with the 12 ounces. 🙂
I have 16oz bags. They are “jumbo” egg noodles. Hard to find though. I will say if using jumbo you need more broth and they need cooked longer. I would advise to use a medium or large egg noodle.
These were so simple yet so good! The whole family really enjoyed it. My wife says I definitely need to put these on our regular menu rotation. Thanks, as always, for your great and easy recipes.
Made this tonight with a roasted chicken and steamed broccoli. Delicious! This will stay in the dinner rotation.
These are excellent. They are so easy to make. My family loves them. And always request I make them.
I was looking for something quick and easy to serve with Salisbury steaks and mashed potatoes. This fit the bill perfectly! Thanks
Thanks so much for giving it a try! Im so happy you liked it and I appreciate you coming back to comment!
I am still a bit confused about the butter. Do I leave the butter stick just sitting there until it fully melts and then stir the pasta and then let it sit for 20 minutes with the lid on?
Or do I stir the butter stick in immediately and then cover it to sit for 20? confused about the melting part.
It might help to look at my step by step photos and I have also included a video to be helpful. Either way actually works – the goal is to just get the butter melted and for the noodles to soak everything up.
I make this occasional and it goes really well with Salmon I also add broccoli to the noodles..
Added some rotisserie chicken in after noodles were done. And served it with broccoli on the side. It was a hit!
That sounds absolutely perfect!! Thanks so much Analisa!
Hello I bet a dollop of sour cream would work here ?
If you like the tanginess of sour cream then certainly! 🙂
Such a great recipe! Really easy, all the ingredients were on hand. Even my really picky son ( who doesn’t like anything) loved these noodles! He even had seconds and claimed all of the leftover noodles. Thank you!
Absolutely *LOVE* hearing when even the picky eaters love something! Thank you Julie!!
We made this for the second time last night (my granddaughter did actually) and didn’t have egg noodles but we did have thin spaghetti. It completely worked! So, so good, what a fantastic recipe. Thanks Brandie
I made this with cream of chicken w/ herb soup instead of the plain version and added a couple shakes of garlic powder and it was fantastic. It’s just me so initially I thought it was going to be too much food but it’s so delicious, I’ve been eating another big helping after my dinner, it’s that good.
The video and step by step photos were so helpful and how you write the directions & an ingredient photo. Top tier work here thanks so much for all you do to help those of us who weren’t taught to cook. You are always my number one resource for recipes!
Turned out great for me! Everyone loved them too. They are so creamy which the pictures don’t really show as much. We really enjoyed this recipe.
Very good – came out perfect and creamy! Wouldn’t change a thing!
I feel like an idiot asking this . I added my noodles uncooked . Did I screw up ? The recipe didn’t say to cook first and I figured boiling a couple minutes here and a couple there and then letting them sit with lid on would do the trick . They seem fine . Honestly haven’t tasted yet but feel confident they’ll be fine .
Nope you didn’t screw up! That’s why we have all this liquid in the recipe to help cook the noodles. I provide step by step photos in the post & in the recipe card & include a video so you can check that yours looks like mine 🙂
Turned out perfect. Your instructions were great. They were so creamy and even my picky eaters (mainly my wife – ha!) loved it – thanks so much.
These were really yummy. They were creamy and buttery, with the right amount of salt. Next time I’ll serve it with chicken breast mixed in.
Made this for my son in law who loves noodles. The only thing I did different was I added a can of chicken. It was a big hit. Will make again.
My daughter remembers these noodles from way back when. Can’t wait to make them.
Hope she loves them!
These are so creamy and delicious! They don’t look like much but they taste amazing!
Absolutely amazing! Huge hit with everyone!!
Making these on Sunday. A cup of cheese in there sounds pretty good. Just sayin!
Just goes to show that soul-satisfying, body comforting food doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated! My picky youngest son said it was “delicious”! (There is no greater praise than that haha!) I was aghast when I found my pantry bare of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken with Herbs soup which I use almost constantly now it’s so good, but I had low salt regular cream of chicken soup and added poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and it was still so yummy! Bet you could experiment with other soup flavors such as beefy mushroom, cream of mushroom with roasted garlic, Golden mushroom or Cheddar cheese. This will become a regular, as I often am at a loss for side dishes after paying so much attention to the entree. Thanks Brandie!
How much water in pot to begin recipe?
There is no water
wow this recipe was incredible!!! thanks for sharing it.
Thanks so much Jeffrey!
We really enjoyed this! Kids loved it. Nice and creamy. Threw in a little garlic powder based on your advice in the question section. This will be in our menu rotation!
A most excellent recipe! Noodles (except elbow macaroni and spaghetti) were never on our menu rotation because my Dad thought they tasted like a piece of fat meat! LOL, go figure. I had never eaten them, and my husband just knew he would hate noodles, so over the years, I never tried to learn how to fix them and use them in recipes.
When I saw this recipe on your blog, I thought, “Brandie has never failed me with any of her recipes, so I’m gonna make this one.” They were an instant hit, and we devoured them like big old hogs.
Thank you, Brandie, for sharing your recipe, it is gonna be on our menu rotation (we’ll have it at least once a week LOL).
I’m an old lady and have been married 61 years, so you see, an old dog can learn new tricks!
Ha! I love it!! You are cracking me up! Love that you and hubby enjoyed this recipe. And you are so right, it is never too late to try new things!! Thank you for having faith and giving it a shot
I made this recipe for me and my granddaughter and we both loved it. I poached a small chicken breast in the broth and then removed it to add the noodles and the rest of the ingredients. I diced the chicken very small and added it back in with the noodles. It was even better the next day!
Thanks so much Ellen! I love hearing that!
This recipe calls for 16 ounces of noodles. The bag you show is 12 ounces. Can you use 12 ounces or do you need to add 4 more ounce?
Sorry for the confusion – the no yolk egg noodles come in a 12 ounce bag and the regular egg noodles come in a 16 ounce bag, they both work with this recipe 🙂
Yum, yum, yum! Husband loved it. Will be added to easy meal rotation.
The written instructions just say let the butter melt and then serve but the video says let sit for 20 mins with the lid on after you stir in the butter. Mine is sitting now, looking forward to try it, but you should definitely update the written part.
That was what the original recipe called for (the one from Tik Tok) but we found after making it a few times that the 20 minute wait was unnecessary. You can certainly do so if you want to test out the difference in waiting.
I have to be honest…the name didn’t capture my interest at first. However, both of my kids (ages 17 and 19) love buttered noodles so I always keep a container of them in my fridge for late-night snacking. Thought this recipe might offer a different alternative and decided to give it a try. HUGE SUCCESS! It was so quick to make and flavorful. I really think the cream of chicken soup introduced a new flavor profile for my children. Empty plates = happy papa! I served it with a grilled Montreal-seasoned chicken cutlet and substituted chopped cilantro for the parsley. Thank you, Brandie! Another excellent recipe…
Thank you for sharing this! I hate trying to write down recipes from Tik Tok and they don’t have a printable one (which I prefer) Also, a lot of times the person sharing doesn’t give exact amounts for everything. I need to follow a recipe as I am autistic and need things to be exact. I am trying to learn to cook for myself and your website is so helpful for people like me. All the step by step photos and the ingredient photos (I need help to know what to look for). You are a very good teacher and you are very thorough. Thank you very much
Hi Zoe! I am so happy to have you here! What a thoughtful comment and it really meant a lot to read. I really love to teach people how to cook and that is why I started this website. I really wanted to teach and not just share a recipe. There are a lot of cooks like myself who can taste a recipe and know what to add but that is only because I have years of experience but not everyone knows how to do that because they are just starting to learn how to cook. It takes time and experience (and some mess ups LOL) So I am so ecstatic to read that you find it helpful. It makes all the work worth it. Let me know if there is anything else you’d like to see that would help you!
Happy Accident, I love this recipe as written. However, recently my grocery store was out of the Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup. They substituted Campbell’s Cream of Chicken With Herbs. Oh my goodness, A delicious variation. Just as good, in a slightly different way. Now I alternate between the two, for variation. Thank you for another Great Recipe.
Yay! Love hearing that Jackie!! Thanks so very much!!
Would it hurt the flavor of this noodle dish to substitute the parsley with green onions?
I don’t think it would hurt. If you love green onions then you can certainly go for it 🙂
Made this tonight. It was good! I used medium egg noodles
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.
Where does it call for any water at all in this recipe?
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 😉