Quick + Easy Peanut Butter Noodles with Greens
Creamy, with just the right amount of spice, these peanut butter noodles are tossed in a 3 ingredient sauce featuring Thai red curry paste for a 20 minute healthy weeknight dinner, veggies included! I like using high protein noodles so each serving has about 30g protein.
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Why is it that the nights I want to cook the least, I also have the strongest opinions about what I want to eat? I used to be fine with just ordering takeout and accepting my lukewarm fate. No longer: it’s got to be healthy, comforting and match my cravings.
And since I develop recipes for a living, I’ve made it my selfish mission to create a bunch of back pocket recipes I can lean on when I’m exhausted after work and these easy peanut butter noodles are it, holy heck are they IT.
A complete, nourishing meal with greens and plenty of protein – if you use high protein noodles – that makes dietitian me happy. Plus, it comes together in 20 minutes (or less!) in just one pot. Heck, it’s even a no chop recipe if you want it to be.
Because the nights we’re tired are typically when we need a healthy meal the most to help us bounce back. And there is no reason healthy can’t be so dang delicious, yes? So let’s goooooo
Looking for more nourishing plant-based recipes that are actually fun to eat? Grab a copy of Plant Magic, my cookbook!
Make these 20 minute peanut butter noodles with whatever you’ve got
These, like all the peanut butter noodle recipes floating around the internet, are inspired by a Chinese dish called ban mian…but my version goes in another direction entirely. Because I am sticking to my go-to move of using Thai red curry paste to bring major flavour with minimal effort…so the sauce here is just 3 ingredients: peanut butter, curry paste and soy sauce!
Don’t have Thai red curry paste? You could totally manage with chili bean paste or chili crunch, maybe adding more soy sauce and a bit of ginger and garlic for a more balanced flavour. You can customize the level of spiciness here. I find that 1 tablespoon of the AROY D red curry paste is family friendly, but I like 2 tablespoons if cooking for the grown ups. Taste your ingredients and adjust your dose accordingly so you don’t get surprised by a too spicy meal!
Oh, and in case I need to say this, please use any noodle you want! I am choosing a high protein lupini pasta here because I want a higher protein meal. You could totally use ramen, or rice noodles for a completely gluten free option and then just whip up a batch of my crispy baked tofu to add protein!
Nutrition Corner: because you’ve got free will, the nutrition in this recipe is gonna depend on what you choose to make it with. I used La Molisana lupini pasta and choy sum and each serving of this recipe has about 30g protein and 13g of fibre.
More quick and easy vegan weeknight dinners:
- Vegan Pizza Beans Skillet with Kale
- Silken Tofu Pasta Sauce with Roasted Red Peppers
- Weeknight Vegan Ramen with Smoked Tofu and Greens
- 30 Minute Crumbled Tofu Vegan Tacos
- 10 Minute Mexican Tostadas with Black Beans and Squash
Quick + Easy Peanut Butter Noodles with Greens
Ingredients
- 1 package your favourite noodles, gluten free rice noodles, ramen, high protein pasta
- ½ – 1 pound of your favourite greens, use less of a lighter green like spinach, more of a heavier one like broccoli
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, gluten free if needed
- 1 – 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, AROY-D is the best if you have it! See note on vegan brands below.
Instructions
- Fill a large pasta pot halfway with water, and bring it to a boil on high.
- If using sturdy greens like broccoli, gai lan or bok choy, slice them into thinner strips or more bite sized pieces. Leave lighter greens like baby kale and spinach as is.
- Once the water is boiling, add your sturdy greens and let blanch for 2-3 minutes until they are tender crisp and turn bright green. Using tongs – don't drain the pot! – remove the greens to a large bowl and set aside.
- Now, add your noodles to the same pot and let cook according to package directions. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the cooking water…super important!
- Drain noodles in a colander, give a quick rinse and set aside.
- In the same pasta pot, off of the heat, add the peanut butter, curry paste, soy sauce and half of the reserved pasta water. Whisk to combine, and then add the noodles and greens and toss well to coat, adding more pasta water as necessary for a silky sauce. I typically use the whole cup. Enjoy!
Notes
6 Comments on “Quick + Easy Peanut Butter Noodles with Greens”
I’d like to try making this, but I have no idea how much “1 package” of pasta is. I have single serving pouches of brown rice millet Ramen, 1 pound bags of pasta, 10 boxes of pasta. Can you please make a suggestion for how much pasta to use by weight?
Hi Carry,
I totally get it…I am not typically so vague with recipes but because you could use any kind of noodle, it was hard to put an amount! I would use maybe 3/4 lb of standard pasta. Or 4 single servings of the ramen. If using rice noodles, I would probably use the whole of a standard size bag, which is maybe 200g/half pound?? hope this helps.
Loved it! And it’s true, no more than 20 minutes and dinner was on our plates. When I saw it on the newsletter I thought this is sooo worth a try. It proved to be not only simple and quick but also delicious. Plus it thicks the box for greens.
Oh yay, I am so glad you liked it Renee! There’s nothing better than a quick recipe to lean on when you don’t feel like cooking.
I made these last night. It was delicious!! And so easy and quick!!
Thank you Desiree !!! 🙂
Okay, YOU were quick!! So so glad you like the noodles, Kelly. Thanks for taking the time to leave a rating!!