Creamy Lemon Dill Egg Noodles

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Some days you need a light lift, a gimme – a meal that you can make with half a brain and half an hour. And, in my experience, there is a disproportionate amount of those days in January. I find it so strange that we associate this month with fresh starts. It’s the darkest, coldest month of the year. Hibernation should reign supreme, not gym memberships and lofty career goals.  I will not be doing anything more than surviving and I invite you to join me. And today’s Creamy Lemon Dill Egg Noodles will help you do just that. This dead simple sharp and tangy pasta dish delivers carb-tastic bliss in 30 minutes flat. 

Okay, let’s break these Creamy Lemon Dill Egg Noodles down. This simple nosh features tender egg noodles, peas, and shallots tossed in a simple lemon yogurt sauce accented with fresh dill. The dish is finished with a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs, garlic chips, and yet more dill. If you want to add a little protein to the proceedings, feel free to add a drained can of tuna or a tin of white or butter beans. And yes, the tuna will essentially turn this into a stovetop version of tuna casserole. Not that that’s a bad thing!

The first thing we’re going to do is make the garlic chips and the breadcrumbs. Start by shaving a few garlic cloves on a mandolin. I like using a mandolin for this because it helps me ensure all my garlic pieces are the same thickness. This means they will all take roughly the same amount of time to cook. And speaking of which, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep skillet until shimmering. Add your garlic slices and spread them out into an even layer. Once the garlic turns golden, quickly remove them from the pan using a slotted spoon. Move quickly, the garlic will go from perfect to burned faster than you think. Use a slotted spoon so you leave as much of the garlic-scented oil in the pan as possible. 

Now, let’s talk breadcrumbs. My breadcrumbs are made out of two potato dinner rolls. You can use whatever bit of bread you have lying around. Toast the bread and pop it in a food processor. Blitz until you have a fairly coarse crumb. Don’t strive for uniformity here, we want texture. Transfer the crumbs to the skillet and let them absorb the garlic oil. Toss around until the crumbs are golden and crisp. Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs to a plate and set them aside.

Now, let’s tackle the actual dish. Place a large pot of water over high heat and cover.  While you’re waiting for the water to boil, wipe out the skillet you used to make the garlic chips and breadcrumbs. Add more oil to the pan and sauté some shallots sliced into half-moons. Do this over low heat, so the shallots have some time to sweat it out. To the shallots add some white wine and let simmer gently until reduced by half. 

Your water should be boiling by now. Liberally salt the water and add the egg noodles. Cook until the noodles are al dente. This should take about 10 minutes. And yes, if you don’t have egg noodles, you can use any type of pasta you fancy. I just adore egg noodles, they have such a springy mouthfeel.  For this dish, I purposely reached for tart and refreshing flavors. A hint of the season that’s to come when it feels like we couldn’t be farther away. And that springiness reinforces the light and bouncy flavor profile of this dish. Or at least it does in my head. This reasoning could sound a little nuts if you’re not a food obsessive. 

Add the juice of one lemon and some frozen peas to the simmering wine. Simmer for a minute more and then stir in a cup of Greek yogurt. From here on out you need to keep the temperature low, we don’t want to curdle the yogurt. Add heaps of fresh dill and the drained egg noodles. Retain a bit of the cooking liquid to help thicken the sauce if desired. I didn’t add any.

This is not a thick sauce as it is not roux-based. If you want a thicker sauce, you can certainly make a roux and slowly whisk in the wine and lemon juice before stirring in the yogurt. That was more trouble than I was willing to go through, so I didn’t and there wasn’t an excessive amount of sauce left in the pan. The sauce coated the pasta quite beautifully. Transfer the finished Creamy Lemon Dill Egg Noodles to plates and garnish with the toasted breadcrumbs, garlic chips, and fresh dill. Serve immediately with a glass of white wine and pretend you can feel the sun on your face. 

And that’s everything you need to know about these Creamy Lemon Dill Egg Noodles. It really can’t get easier than this. A low-effort dish with maximum flavor, how can you say no?

Enjoy!