"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.
Miranda
CC! This is beautiful. Great job. You are so talented and your meals are always so unique and wonderful.
Not to mention, you are a very lucky women. I saw that you also won Dianna's giveaway! Congrats!!
Cookin' Canuck
Barbara - The blender makes very short work of this sauce!
Pegasus, Mae, Joy & Fresh Local - Thanks so much for your comments!
Christine - LOL! Let me know if you come up with a ketchup sauce that works. That would be a huge hit with my kids.
Klutzy Cook - Yes, peanut butter and noodles are always surefire kid-friendly ingredients.
The Klutzy Cook
Oh my, this looks fantastic. My kids will be sooooo excited as they too love peanut butter. Plus, I can always get them to eat noodles. Great combination, thanks.
Fresh Local and Best
This recipe looks so yummy and healthy!
Joy
MMMmm I love soba noodles, I have never tried them with a peanut sauce but this recipe looks mucho yummy!
Mae
Perfect and simple recipe for soba!
Peas Love Carrots
Christine
Being a mum and cook, have to find any way to get our kids to eat more and take more healthy foods. You're very clever to get your kids to eat whole wheat noodles with PB.
My kids like ketchup, your recipe would be turned into something like whole wheat noodles in ketchup sauce, chicken & veggies in my family 🙂
Again, love your pics!
pegasuslegend
This sounds and looks delicious by the ingredients....have to try this!
Barbara Bakes
I don't use my blender enough. I'll have to give this great recipe a try!
Cookin' Canuck
@Rochelle - If I don't have soba noodles on hand, the whole wheat spaghetti works really well and we still get the healthy benefits of eating whole grains.
@DivinaPe - I"ll have to check out your version!
@TastyTrix - I agree that a little heat is great with this, as long as the kids can handle it.
Elin - Thank you!
Tasty Eats - This is definitely a kid-pleaser!
Maria - Well, you'll just have to make this for lunch when Josh is at work. It also makes a great potluck dish.
Marla - It's always nice to have a little variety, isn't it?
Wasabi Prime - I am lucky that my children indulge me by trying almost everything I cook.
Leslie - So glad to hear that! Beef brisket would be great with this. I have also served this with leftover grilled flank steak.