Noodles of any kind are my favourite! Anyone else? But noodles slathered in creamy peanut sauce, now we’re really talking (keep your hand raised if this is also you).

These creamy peanut noodles are your Friday night stay in, Thursday ‘I’m out of ideas what to cook’ or Saturday ‘let’s use the leftover veggies’ type of a recipe.

What makes this recipe so mouthwatering is the sauce. It’s super creamy (without cream) thanks to coconut milk and abundance of peanut butter because in my opinion, you can never have enough PB. Add ginger and chili for a little kick of spice, soy sauce and miso paste to take care of the umami taste and a squeeze of lemon to add a bit of tang. Flavourful and delicious!

Quick & easy

This recipe comes together within 30 minutes start to finish and that’s why I love it especially as a quick weekday dinner. Chop all the veggies, throw them on the pan to fry off and in the meantime prepare your sauce. Add all the ingredients to a blender and that’s it. That’s your delicious creamy sauce right there. Then cook your noodles, mix everything together in a pan and enjoy!

You can get creative and mix up the veggies depending on either your preference or your fridge’s supplies. As for the noodles, stick with either your typical rice noodles or swap them for nutty tasting buckwheat ones for extra fibre and minerals (known as Soba noodles). If you prefer rice, the sauce works just as well.

Add extra protein to your meal in a form of fried crispy tofu cubes. This is totally optional but I think it tastes great and simply adds another layer of taste and texture to your dish.

You’ll love these Noodles with Creamy Peanut Sauce because they’re:

Delicious
Quick & easy
Packed with veggies
Creamy
Comforting

Noodles with Creamy Peanut Sauce

Total time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil (or any other oil you have)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small head of broccoli (about 6 large florets), cut into smaller pieces
1 small zucchini, chopped (keep the pieces slightly thicker otherwise they’re get too soggy)
1 carrot, sliced
2 spring onions, chopped
1 cup green beans (or snap peas)
1 tbsp soy sauce
8 oz rice noodles
Cilantro, chopped (optional to garnish)
7 oz firm tofu, about 200 g, cubbed (optional)

For the sauce:

1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
3 heaping tbsp peanut butter
Juice from 1/2 a lemon (or lime)
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp miso paste (feel free to skip if you don’t have it, just add a little bit more soy sauce instead)
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp chili flakes (you can add more or skip them altogether depending on your preference)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions, drain, rinse with cold water so they don’t stick and set aside.

2. Add sesame oil to your frying pan and preheat to high temperature. Once the oil is hot, add all your veggies, stir frequently and fry for about 7 minutes. You want the vegetables to be slightly browned and still a little crunchy. Then turn off the heat, pour over 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, give it one more stir and set the pan aside.

3. If you’re adding tofu to your recipe follow this step otherwise move onto to next step. Transfer your stir fried veggies into a bowl. Add a splash of oil to the pan and turn it to medium high. Once the oil is hot add your tofu cubes to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and fry off on each side until tofu has a slight crust and a golden brown colour.

4. Place all of sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until nice and smooth (it will be still quite thin at this point). Adjust the taste to your liking by adding more ginger, lime juice, chili flakes etc.

5. Place the pan with veggies back on the stove and turn the heat to medium. Pour over the sauce and begin to add the noodles (if you’re making this recipe with rice, simply add rice to your bowl and pour the sauce with veggies over it). There should be enough sauce to cover everything but you can add a little bit of water or coconut milk if needed.

6. Mix well and bring to a light simmer. Cook for a few minutes until you notice the sauce starting to thicken. Remove from heat and serve immediately if possible. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a little squeeze of lemon (optional hot sauce).