Peanutty Soba Noodles with Snow Peas & Carrots
Starting off the first week of spring with a bowl of seasonal deliciousness! These Peanutty Soba Noodles with Snow Peas & Carrots are addictively yummy and easy to put together. Happy Monday!
They’re perfect for a light vegetarian dinner, as a warm-weather summer side for all those (let’s cross our fingers) backyard bbq’s and picnics coming our way or as the makings of a quickie lunch. That’s how we’ve been enjoying them. Ever since we’ve all been working/schooling from home, I like to try to make at least one big salad/starchy dish a week to leave in the fridge for lunchtime grazings/nibbly snacks and this one has been a huge hit!
So many wonderful flavors to love!
If you’ve never had soba noodles before you’re in for a real treat. Because they’re made from buckwheat and wheat flour they’ve got a nutty, sort of earthy taste. Happily, they’re also higher in protein than traditional white flour-based noodles.
We love snow peas and carrots—so much color and crunch, so that’s what I used here, but the fact is that this dish is extremely versatile and so many other veggie combos would be great—your imagination (and produce drawer) is the only limit.
Rounding everything out is the zesty and finger-lickin’ good peanut sauce which coats the noodles and veggies and makes this dish so irresistible. Peanut sauce makes everything better, right?
I promise you’re gonna love every slurpy bite!!
Peanutty Soba Noodles with Snow Peas & Carrots
Makes 6-8 servings, more if you’re using this as a side
Prep Time: Under 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the noodles
1 pound dried soba noodles
1 pound (about 1 cup) snow pea pods, ends trimmed and sliced on the diagonal in halves or thirds
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
Large handful fresh parsley, chopped
For the peanut dressing
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
5 teaspoons rice vinegar
Pinch or two of red pepper flakes
½ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup vegetable or chicken broth (you could also use water)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 scallions, chopped
The Recipe
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles until tender, according to the package directions. A few minutes before the noodles are ready to be done, add in the snow peas and carrots so that they get tender but are still crisp. Drain the whole thing in a large colander and transfer to a large bowl. Add in the parsley.
2. To make the peanut dressing: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds so that it barely browns—you don’t want it to burn. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes, peanut butter, broth and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Stir until smooth and then lower the heat so that the mixture simmers and thickens—takes about 5-7 minutes.
3. Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss everything gently together. Let cool to room temperature. top with the scallions and serve.
4. You can definitely make this a day before and serve it cold or room temperature. Leftovers last 4-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Salad of the Day by Georgeanne Brennan. I tinkered a lot with proportions and ingredients—feel free to use this just as a jumping off point and make it your own.
