I’m back! I felt like my brain was running at half speed while I had that head cold. My thoughts seem to be clearing as my symptoms have lifted, but now I’m presented with an overwhelming workload and would rather crawl back under the covers with Cookie. So it goes.
I’m taking a little break to share one of my new favorite, quick meals. It took two tries to get this one right (see the first try here), but my second attempt really hits the spot. Like my other soba noodle recipe, this one is packed with vegetables, which keeps the dish light, while buckwheat soba noodles contribute their whole grain goodness and peanut butter brings in some protein.
This Asian inspired, peanut butter flavored dish is a cinch to throw together. Just boil a pot of water, sauté some veggies, and whisk together some sauces from your pantry. Dinner is served!
Peanut Soba Noodles with Broccoli and Red Pepper
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 bowls 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Asian
This vegan, Asian-inspired soba noodle bowl recipe is a quick, easy meal. Filled with vegetables, whole grains and protein, it’s nutritious and satisfying.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces soba noodles or spaghetti noodles of choice
- 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into two inch strips
- 5–6 tightly bunched broccoli stems (about 1½ to 2 pounds), cut into florets
- 1–2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for stir-frying
- 2 handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 small bunch of green onions, thinly sliced
- Handful of roasted peanuts, for topping
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced and crushed into a paste (I used my garlic press)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
- Big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ to ½ cup hot water
Instructions
- Boil a big pot of water. Add the soba noodles and cook according to the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. (Tip: soba noodles seem to be more finicky than regular whole wheat pasta, so really, you need to cook them in a lot of water, be sure not to overcook them, and rinse them immediately.)
- Sauté your broccoli and red peppers over medium high heat with a splash of vegetable oil for about 5 minutes.
- Whisk together the sauce, adding the hot water in increments at the end. As Heidi put it, you want it to be the consistency of a thin yogurt.
- Once your noodles are done cooking, rinsed and drained, toss together the noodles, broccoli, red peppers, cilantro, green onions and sauce.
- Portion into small bowls and top with a sprinkling of dry roasted peanuts.
Notes
Sauce adapted from 101 Cookbooks’s Lazy Day Peanut Noodle Salad Recipe.
Make it gluten free: This dish can be gluten free if you use gluten-free spaghetti instead (like a quinoa and corn spaghetti blend).
Preparation tips: I chose to sautée my veggies but you could probably steam them lightly or perhaps use them raw. You could sub any number of seasonal vegetables for the broccoli and red pepper, too. Just be sure to use a lot of veggies to keep the dish light.
If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my raw veggie soba noodle salad and Ashley’s quick garlicky pasta recipe, too!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Bev Weidner
Are. You. Kidding. Me. YES.
My eyeballs are so happy.
Jacqui
I love a good peanut noodle bowl. So quick to make a delicious! Glad you’re feeling better and beautiful photos too!
Melissa // thefauxma
Yes. I will be making this for sure!
Katrina
Mmmm healthy and sooo pretty! Yum.
Marie
Oh yum! I’m such a sucker for peanut sauce. Peanut anything, really. And your pictures are beautiful :) I definitely have to make this someday soon!
Kathy
This looks delicious AND easy! So going onto Pinterest!…now, time to go find some buckwheat soba noodles!
http://milk-and-tea.blogspot.com
Maria@Orchard Bloom
hmmm looks amazing!
Jennifer
This looks like a perfect meal!
Kelsey
Love the little noodle dangling from the bowl.
My peanut butter loving friends need to see this, stat.
kate
That little noodle was teetering on the edge of the bowl and I gave it a little nudge. :) Wait, are you not a peanut butter lover yourself?
foodie @ Tasting Spo
looks really delicious… vegan / gluten free sounds great as well
chinmayie
Peanut is a great addition to the soba nooldes! Looks colorful and delicious :)
Fauxchef for Five
I am going to make this for my vegan son this weekend. Actually, I think I will make it for all of us. Going to get the ingredients right now!
kate
I think you’ll all love it! Please let us know how your peanut noodles turn out.
Sylvie @ GITK
Soba noodles and peanut sauce were just meant for each other, a wonderful combination I make often. I will try your version next time.
Kasey
Gorgeous! This is one of my favorite weeknight dinners! I also like making mine with almond butter. Beautiful photos!
kate
Great idea! I’ll try almond butter next time.
thelittleloaf
Peanut and noodles is one of the best combinations ever invented. This looks delicious – healthy and fresh but satisfyingly rich at the same time. Great post :-)
Marcia
This looks great, and the best news is that I have everything on hand! Gotta try this one. Thanks!
Emily Hart
Hi Kate! I’ve never commented here, but have been reading for a while. Your dad and my husband, Josh, work together so that’s how I found your lovely blog. Anyways, Josh and I were just ooohing and aaahing over this, so I had to tell you that we’ll be trying it soon. It looks amazing! Thanks for sharing your talent!
Emily
Cate
I made this last night and it was fabulous! Loved the addition of stir-fried broccoli, because I usually make noodles like this with just raw vegetables.
kate
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Cate! I think next time I’ll try it with almond butter like one of the other commenters suggested!
Janette
I just made it and enjoyed every bite. It was fast, easy, and deliciously healthy.
Aggie
Oh oh oh…this looks SO good! I picked up soba noodles last week and have been craving a good noodle bowl. I have a ton of napa cabbage and bok choy from my csa…I’m inspired to try something like this one. Your photo is gorgeous!!
Bec
Made this tonight with a couple of tiny alterations (ditched the noodles for myself and had it with chicken + tofu because I’m on a low-carb diet), but it was absolutely delicious and my boyfriend (a peanut butter fiend) heartily concurred. Thanks so much!
kate
Happy to hear that you enjoyed the soba noodles, Bec! Thanks for commenting to let me know. I’m glad you could modify the dish to fit with your low-carb diet. That’s great!
Silke
Always nice to find a fellow vegetarian food blogger! I loooove your recipes and photographs, everything just looks so beautiful and healthy…
Can I ask you what camera you’re using? And do you have some tips to improve my pictures? I would be really grateful!
Kate
Thank you, Silke! I use an old Nikon D80 and either the 35mm f1.8 lens or the 50mm f1.8 lens. I’m actually working on an FAQ page with tips, so check back for that link soon.
Melissa Perry
I’m planning on making this tonight, but how many soba noodles are we talking here? I got a huge package at an Asian market, and I don’t think its the type of package you call for. Three of the 1″ bundles? One bundle?
I’ve made a couple other recipes from your blog and they are great! So happy to have found a wonderful source for veggie dishes.
Kate
Great question, Melissa. I believe that I used about an 8 ounce package of noodles for this dish, but it’s been awhile. If you want to make the dish more vegetable-focused and less noodle-y, I think two bundles would be just right. Please let me know how it turns out for you!
Talia
I was looking for a way to use my package of soba noodles and fell in love with this peanut-butter twist on some sharp Asian flavors. Thanks!
Kate
Thanks, Talia! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Angie
Looks so good! Can you tell me where you buy 100% buckwheat soba noodles? Not sure why I’m having such a hard time finding them.
Kate
Hey Angie, I’m sorry you’re having trouble! I know Eden Foods and a couple other brands make 100% buckwheat soba noodles, but I can’t say I’ve seen them in stores. You could substitute a firm gluten-free spaghetti, like maybe quinoa pasta, if you’d like. It just won’t taste quite the same.
Stephanie Lillis
whenever i can get hold of 100% buckwheat noodles i always make this recipe :)
★★★★★
Linda Lunney
Can I use regular rice wine vinegar . . I’ve never heard of brown rice vinegar . . sounds delicious.
★★★★★
Kate
Yes, you can! I’m sorry for the confusion.
Deana
I am addicted to this meal! Love it. Wondering if there is any way to alter it without the peanut butter. Want to make this so bad for a party, but my nephew is HIGHLY allergic to peanuts. Do you have any recommendations for possible substitutions? I can’t substitute any nut butter like almond or cashew because he can’t have them. I am stuck.
Kate
Hi Deana! Can he have sunflower butter (made from sunflower seeds)? That would be my best guess.
Fran
The ingredients list seems to have gone missing, is it just me?
Kate
Nope, not just you, Fran! I switched over to a new recipe plugin, and some parts of my recipes went MIA. Thanks for commenting, I’ll take care of this ASAP.
Kate
Hi Fran, I just fixed it! I’m so sorry for the trouble.
Alexi
Yum! I made this ahead of time for an overnight camping trip. The meal was a hit and I will definitely be making it again.
Kate
Great to hear, Alexi!
Jeanne Young
Hi Kate,
I love your recipes and this is my go-to sight for healthy recipes. Thank you!
I made this last night following the recipe. It tasted delicious, but the consistency was like a paste, instead of a sauce. I added 1/2 cup water. Should I add water to the leftovers? What should I do differently next time? Thanks!
★★★★
Kate
Hi! You could try adding water tablespoon at at time to release it some. Let me know what you think!
Jeanne
OK. Thanks. We ate the leftovers without changing anything. The dish was delicious. I will make it again and just add more water. Thanks
Carole and Torbjörn
We made this for the second time this evening, using cauliflower instead of broccoli, and a little cabbage rather than red bell pepper, because that’s what we had on hand. We loved it. Torbjörn (who loves spice) added a whole grain mustard to his plate and suggested that others try that.
★★★★★