Quick and Easy Sesame Noodles Recipe
Ridiculously delicious sesame noodles are just 15 minutes away.
This recipe is great as-is. Or you can add some veggies (think thinly sliced red bell peppers, broccoli and snow peas), some tofu, or un-veganize the heck out of it with some cooked shrimp, chicken or beef if you like.
Tip
For more gluten-free vegan fare with east-Asian inspiration, try Napa cabbage stir fry with salt and pepper tofu or Roxane's 20 Minute vegan sushi bowls.
Why not sesame noodles?
For quick dinners involving a pound of pasta, I sort of idiotically gravitate toward Italian flavors about 95% percent of the time. No offense to Italian flavors — they’re wonderful, obviously. BUT. How about shaking it up a little once in a while, right? Just as easy, just as delicious, and really great for a change: this easy sesame noodles recipe. It’s quicker than take-out, honestly. And fresher tasting, not to mention better for your bod.
Quick and Easy Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti*
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons good soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
- Gomasio for serving, optional**
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente, drain and return to pot.
- Meanwhile, place the minced shallot, garlic and ginger in a small bowl and stir in the rice vinegar. Let sit for five minutes. Then whisk in peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha until perfectly smooth.
- In a small pan, toast the sesame seeds over low heat, stirring a few times, until fragrant and lightly browned.
- As soon as you drain the pasta, pour the sauce overtop and toss to coat well. Stir in scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately. Pass gomasio at the table if you like.
Notes
* This recipe calls for spaghetti because I really want you to be able to make it with ingredients you already have in the pantry. (And because it's good with spaghetti!) But you can use thin Chinese egg noodles too, which may absorb a little less of the sauce and leave the dish a little saucier overall.
** For the record, I do know that gomasio is Japanese and this take on sesame noodles is sort of vaguely, inauthentically Chinese. Hooray for the melting pot.
