"Peanut butter noodles!" comes the cheer from my boys as soon as they hear the blender fire up. That is, unless it's Sunday morning. Then the cry becomes, "Smoothies!" While smoothies may edge out the noodles, this recipe has become a family favorite. My kids love it because it includes one of their most beloved ingredients: peanut butter, of course. We have exhausted our peanut butter sandwich repertoire. PB with jam, PB with bananas, PB with honey, PB with apples... This recipe uses peanut butter in a thankfully different way. My marathon-running husband appreciates this dish because it is a surefire method of delivering carbohydrates to his ever-moving muscles. I like it simply because it tastes great, is a cinch to make, and can be made hours in advance. These noodles are served cold and, like my Fusilli with Teriyaki Salmon and Vegetable Recipe, can be paired with any vegetables and meat you have in the fridge.
The peanut sauce recipe is adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.
The recipe:
The sauce:
In a blender, combine ½ cup peanut butter, ⅓ cup soy sauce,
2 tablespoons sesame oil, 3 tablespoons rice wine or sherry,
1 tablespoon water, 1 ½ tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar,
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, 1 minced garlic clove, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional - I usually leave this out if I'm serving the noodles to my kids). Blend until smooth.
The rest:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles. Cook according to the package directions or until the noodles are al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Place the noodles in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons sesame oil. To the noodles, add 1 cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces; 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed; and 1 large carrot, julienned.
Pour the peanut sauce into the bowl and toss well.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Other recipes with peanut sauce:
Karina's Kitchen's Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry
Rasa Malaysia's Prawns with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Inspired Bites' Beef & Vegetable Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce
Printable Recipe
Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Chicken
Ingredients
The Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil divided
- ½ cup peanut butter
- â…“ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine or sherry
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes optional
The Rest:
- 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles
- 1 cooked chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 cup sugar snap peas trimmed
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
The Sauce:
- In a blender, combine 2 tablespoon sesame oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine, water, rice vinegar, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red chile flakes. Blend until smooth.
The Rest:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add whole wheat spaghetti or soba noodles. Cook according to the package directions or until the noodles are al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Place the noodles in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Add chicken, red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, and carrot. Pour the peanut sauce into the bowl and toss well. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Surreal
Sounds dee-lish =] The only complaint I would have would be to point out that soba noodles are made of buckwheat and wheat flour which doesn't exactly make it 100% whole wheat...but I guess they are still a healthier option than regular white noodles.
Good job though - I'll definitely be trying this!
Chef Fresco
What a great idea- homemade peanut sauce! I always feel like that stuff is way too pricey at the store. Thanks for the recipe!
Table Talk
Your opening lines to this post about your children hearing the sound of the blender had me smiling---my girls do the same thing...they think it's smoothie time, only to find ancho chile sauce buzzing around the blender.
5 Star Foodie
PB noodles - what a great idea! My daughter will be sure to love these!
My Little Space
Such a wonderful healthy dish! Really awesome and it's a keeper for me! Thanks for sharing.
Hummingbird Appetite
That looks so yummy!
KrisKishere
That looks delicious! I love peanut sauce, but I've never tried making my own. Thanks for this!
ValleyWriter
This looks soooo good! Too bad the hubby doesn't like peanut butter (CRAZY! I know!). I'll just have to save this for when he's away...
Sophie
I love soba noodles dishes!! they are more healthy & so tasty too!
I love this dish!
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