Peanut Noodles with Extra Veggies

I love sneaking extra vegetables into recipes, and while this one doesn’t feel super “sneaky,” it does have a shocking amount of vegetables inside. The secret? Shredded cabbage. When you saute it until tender, it becomes quite noodle-like… so it blends right in with the real noodles.

Tossed in a creamy peanut butter sauce, these peanut noodles taste as if they came from a restaurant. And honestly, they’re so quick to prepare that I don’t think you could get take-out any faster than this.

While you wait for water to boil and pasta to cook, you can stir together a quick sauce and sauté a few veggies. By the time the pasta is tender, you can toss it all together, and it’s ready to serve. I’ll share a few time-saving tricks below!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review

“My husband and I both loved this recipe! I have made it 4 times in two weeks!!” – Vickie

Peanut Butter Noodle Ingredients

• Noodles of Choice. I’ve made this recipe with linguine, spaghetti, and rice noodles. For more protein, try using a chickpea- or lentil-based pasta. (They are naturally gluten-free, too!)
• Vegetables. The fastest way to make this recipe is with a bag of shredded coleslaw mix. When you start with shredded cabbage and carrots, you’ll save yourself some chopping. If you have more time on your hands, feel free to add some red bell pepper, sliced red onion, and some chopped green onion and/or fresh cilantro.
• Peanut Butter. This is the base of the peanut sauce. I use all-natural peanut butter, which needs to be stirred when you first open the jar. (Salted is best, but unsalted works, too.)
• Tamari. This is gluten-free soy sauce, but regular soy sauce can be used if you don’t need a gluten-free recipe. I never buy low-sodium soy sauce, so if you have that on hand, you might need to add an extra pinch of salt to this dish.
• Maple Syrup. I use this natural sweetener to keep this dish vegan-friendly, but honey will work, too.
• Sriracha. I love using this for a spicy kick because, unlike red pepper flakes, it distributes evenly. But you can swap it for red pepper flakes if needed.
• Lime Juice. Fresh lime juice gives this sauce an irresistible tangy flavor. If you need to use vinegar instead, start with just half the amount.

Note: Feel free to add your favorite protein, like baked chicken, shrimp, or crispy tofu.

How to Make Peanut Sauce Noodles

Step 1:

Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. It usually takes at least 10 minutes for water to boil in my house, so while you wait, you can chop the veggies or stir together the peanut sauce.

To prepare the peanut sauce, add the peanut butter, tamari, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, lime juice, and sriracha to a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Use a microplane to finely mince the garlic and ginger into the sauce. Add two tablespoons of water and stir well.

If you need to thin the sauce further, add another tablespoon of water and stir again. (Add as much as you need to make the sauce pourable.) Set this aside for a moment, and add the pasta to the boiling water as soon as it’s ready. Cook according to the package directions.

Step 2:

In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, then saute the red onion, shredded cabbage, and bell pepper, if using. (To save time here, you can just cook a whole bag of coleslaw mix and skip the other extra veggies.)

Season with a half teaspoon of salt and stir often, until the veggies are tender, about 8 minutes. I usually use this time to shred carrots, chop a green onion, and some fresh cilantro. I add the shredded carrots to the pan as soon as they’re ready, though they won’t need much cooking.

Note: Home-shredded carrots on a box grater have a much softer texture than store-bought shredded carrots. The store-bought ones should be cooked for the full 8 minutes to become softer.

Step 3:

When the noodles are done cooking, drain them and add them to the pan with the veggies. Drizzle the peanut sauce over the noodles, then toss well to ensure everything is coated and piping hot. Stir in the green onions and fresh cilantro, if using.

Taste the noodles with veggies, and adjust the flavoring if needed. You can add an extra pinch of salt, or another squeeze of lime juice, or a little more sriracha if you prefer a spicier bite. It’s easy to taste and customize as you go.

As soon as you’re happy with the flavor, it’s ready to serve warm.

Peanut Noodles with Extra Vegetables

5 from 41 votes

If you love spicy peanut noodles, you'll love this easy homemade version. The sauce comes together in just a few minutes, and I've added a sneaky serving of veggies, but it still tastes like you're eating a big bowl of creamy, comforting noodles. The secret is using shredded cabbage, which becomes quite noodle-like when cooked. Use a bag of shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix to cut down on the prep time!

prep15 mins cook20 mins total35 mins

Servings:4

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 4 ounces noodles of choice (see notes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound shredded cabbage (or coleslaw mix)
• 1 small red onion , thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper , sliced (optional)
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 carrots , shredded (or coleslaw mix)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
• 2 green onions , chopped (for garnish)

Peanut Sauce

• ¼ cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 inch fresh minced ginger
• 1 garlic clove

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
• While the noodles are cooking, heat the olive oil in a separate large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the cabbage, red onion, bell pepper, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and stir until softened, about 8 minutes. You can add a splash of water, as needed, to help prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The vegetables will likely fill the pan at first, but will shrink down as they cook!
• Prepare the sauce in a medium bowl or glass measuring cup. Add the peanut butter, tamari, sriracha, lime juice, sesame oil, maple syrup, ginger, and garlic. Use a whisk to stir them together, then add water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to thin the sauce. I usually use 2 to 4 tablespoons of water to get a pourable consistency.
• Add the drained noodles to the pan of sauteed vegetables, along with the carrots, cilantro, and peanut sauce. Toss well to coat everything in the sauce, and make sure everything is heated through.
• Serve warm, with the chopped green onions on top. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and reheated in a pan until warm again.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1/4 of this recipe. This is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, so it’s just an estimate, and not a guarantee. For a more filling portion, divide this recipe into just 3 servings instead.

Don’t care for peanut butter? Use almond butter or sunflower seed butter instead!

Noodle Note: I’ve tested this recipe with spaghetti, linguine, and rice noodles. Use chickpea- or lentil-based pasta for extra protein while keeping it gluten-free. 

Time-Saving Tip: Use a bag of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) instead of chopping extra veggies on a busy weeknight. The store-bought veggies should soften in about 8 minutes, then you stir in the peanut sauce and noodles for a faster meal. 

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1000mg | Potassium: 546mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 6468IU | Vitamin C: 89mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg

Author: Megan Gilmore

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: vegan

Keyword: peanut noodles

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When you try these Peanut Noodles, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like them. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience!