This Soba Noodle recipe is the perfect fall meal! Butternut Squash is scented with Chinese 5-spice, roasted, and tossed with kale and buckwheat noodles in a flavorful stir-fry sauce.
Why You’ll Love This
- Fall flavor in a classic favorite! Stir-fry noodles are undoubtedly a crowd-favorite comfort food. Here we take a seasonal twist with roasted butternut squash, seasoned with Chinese 5-spice.
- Weeknight-friendly. This family-friendly dinner recipe can be made in just over 30 minutes. Once the butternut squash is roasted and the noodles are prepared, everything comes together quickly in one skillet.
- Healthy, yet so comforting! Butternut squash and kale contain nutritious vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This recipe is a great way to enjoy a serving of dark, leafy greens! In addition to being healthy, these soba noodles are nourishing, satiating, and rich with complex flavor.
Butternut Squash Noodles Ingredients
- Soba noodles: Made from buckwheat, provide an earthy, gluten-free base for the dish.
- Roasted Butternut squash: Adds a sweet and creamy texture to the noodles, full of seasonal flavor.
- Olive oil: Helps to roast the butternut squash to perfection and adds a subtle richness. Provides a luscious and smooth texture to the sauce.
- Chinese Five-spice: use store-bought, or make your own here.
- Shallot: Adds a savory depth and flavor to the noodles.
- Garlic cloves: Infuses a bold and aromatic taste to the dish.
- Ginger: Adds a zesty and slightly spicy kick to the noodles.
- Chinese cooking wine: Brings out complex flavors and enhances the overall depth of the dish. Can use mirin as a substitute.
- Lacinato kale: Adds a delightful earthiness and a slight crispness to the noodles.
- Soy sauce: Provides a savory and umami taste to the dish.
- Oyster sauce: Adds depth and richness to the sauce. See notes for substitutions.
- Toasted sesame oil: Infuses the dish with a nutty and aromatic flavor.
- Maple syrup: Balances the flavors with a touch of sweetness.
- Sriracha sauce: Adds a spicy kick and depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Rice vinegar: Brings a tangy and bright element to the sauce.
How to Make Butternut Squash Noodles
Preheat oven to 425F and set a potful of water to boil for the noodles, adding salt.
In a medium bowl, toss butternut squash cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and 5 spice. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake until fork tender, and caramelized, about 35 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Cook noodles in a large pot according to package instructions or to al dente, then rinse with cold water, and drain.
Whisk the soba noodle sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, and set aside by the stove.
In an extra-large skillet, wok, or braiser, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add shallot and garlic and sauté until tender and golden, then add the ginger, sauteing for 2 more minutes. (At this point, you can turn the heat off and wait until the noodles & butternut are done.)
When ready, increase heat to medium, add the Chinese cooking wine and the kale, and cook off most of the wine, and wilt the kale.
Add the cooked soba noodles and the noodle sauce and toss well. Add the roasted butternut squash, and toss to incorporate. Give a taste, season with more salt and pepper. For more heat, stir in more sriracha or chili flakes to taste.
Garnish with green onions or cilantro and divide among bowls.
Optional Additions & Substitutions
This noodle recipe is so versatile! Here are some other additions you could add, depending on what you have on hand.
- Any vegetables can be sautéed in the skillet before adding the kale and noodles- bell pepper, broccoli, mushrooms or onion.
- Substitute the butternut squash with a different type of winter squash, like acorn, delicata, kabocha, or pumpkin.
- For a little extra protein, you could add cubed and fried tofu
- You could use spinach instead of kale for the dark, leafy greens
- Garnish with white or black sesame seeds, or toasted cashews for a bit of extra crunch.
- A fresh herb like cilantro makes a lovely garnish.
FAQs
You can substitute the oyster sauce with 1 teaspoon maple syrup with 1 teaspoon soy sauce or substitute it with 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 3/4 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon vegan fish sauce if you can find it!
Soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour which is gluten-free, contrary to its name! However, some brands of soba noodles contain wheat flour too. Be sure to read the labels carefully. You can substitute rice noodles if needed.
Soba noodles are high in flavonoids, and they are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They tend to be low in calories too. Soba noodles are definitely a healthy choice and a great alternative to pasta!
I can’t wait to hear what you think about this recipe! Let us know what you think in the comments and be sure to give the recipe a rating. 🙂
More Favorite Soba Noodle Recipes!
Butternut Squash Soba Noodles
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: dinner idea,
- Method: stovetop, roasted
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Butternut Squash Noodles is the perfect fall meal! Butternut Squash is scented with Chinese 5-spice, roasted, and tossed with kale and buckwheat noodles in a flavorful stir-fry sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces soba noodles (dry)
- 4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice (add 1/2 teaspoon more for more bold flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
————-
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 fat shallot, finely diced
- 4–6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
- 3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine ( or use mirin)
- 2 cups (packed) Lacinato Kale, stems removed, chopped
Soba Noodle Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2–1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1/4–1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- Optional Garnishes: cilantro, toasted sesame seeds or toasted cashews, and strangely, crumbled goat cheese tastes good too,when melted into the noodles.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F and set a big pot of salted water to boil for the noodles.
- In a medium bowl, toss butternut squash cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper and 5 spice. Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and bake until fork tender, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Cook noodles according to package directions or to al dente, then rinse with cold water, and drain.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, and set aside by the stove.
- In an extra-large skillet, or braiser, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add shallot and garlic and saute until tender and golden, then add the ginger, sauteing for 2 more minutes. (At this point, you can turn the heat off and wait until the noodles /butternut are done.)
- When ready, increase heat to medium, add the Chinese cooking wine and the kale, and cook off most of the wine, and wilt the kale.
- Add the cooked soba noodles and the noodle sauce and toss well. Add the roasted butternut, and toss to incorporate. Give a taste, season with salt and pepper. For more spice, feel free to stir in more sriracha or chili flakes.
- Garnish with scallions or cilantro and divide among bowls.
Notes
Oyster sauce– instead of 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, you could mix 1 teaspoon maple syrup + ¾ teaspoon soy and ¼ teaspoon fish sauce.
Chinese Cooking wine– sub-Mirin, or veggie broth, or water + add 1 teaspoon extra rice vinegar to the noodle sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: `1 ½ cup
- Calories: 426
- Sugar: 9.1 g
- Sodium: 1064.3 mg
- Fat: 15.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 69.4 g
- Fiber: 3.7 g
- Protein: 11.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
If I could give this recipe more than 5 stars I would. It was fabulous and we both loved it! Will definitely be added to the regular rotation for fall and winter meals here. Followed the recipe as written with the larger amount of 5 spice powder and next time I make it I’ll add some mushrooms. I really can’t thank you enough for all the wonderful recipes!
Thanks Lyn, we are so grateful to hear you are enjoying!
Delicious!!! Didn’t have green onions so I omitted, and I doubled the sauce, but really really tasty! Yum!!
Great to hear!
This was amazing 🤩
Do you have any other vegetable dishes you can recommend that are as flavorful as this one??
Awesome and yes! Check out the collections tab on the website. There are lots of yummy recipe with many 5⭐️ reviews!
I made this tonight, absolutely delicious! I made the chinese 5 space recipe too!
Wonderful, so glad you enjoyed!
I decided to give this recipe a try tonight and I was incredibly impressed. I’ve never incorporated butternut squash or kale into a more Asian inspired dish like this and I now realize I’ve been missing out.
Thanks again for another incredible recipe Sylvia. You have been my favorite source of new recipes and food inspirations for the past few years!
Thanks Elise, we used to have a similar recipe on our catering menu but with the addition of duck. It was always a hit, so I thought why not? It’s a little different but fun! Glad you enjoyed it.
Made this during our first snowfall – our new comfort food! Couldn’t find soba noodles so substituted udon which I boiled first. Lovely mix of flavours and yes, a goat cheese crumble on top was enjoyed too. Definitely in my favourite file!
Great to hear Cindy!
This was a delicious winter dinner! We didn’t have oyster sauce and used marsala wine and it still was lovely.
Great to hear Laurie!
Even my veggie-suspicious husband had seconds. I had to make some subs: dry vermouth for the Chinese wine. Garam masala for the 5 spice. I used half the noodles, but kept the remainder of the ingredient amounts. It looked appealing, and will be on my regular rotation.
As a bonus, I discovered that buckwheat noodles are gluten free, and full of protein!
Glad you made a new healthy discovery! It is great how you adapted, so happy you enjoyed!
Excellent!
I received the Feasting at Home email with this recipe and made it the same day. It is absolutely delicious and a very attractive looking dish too. Thank you, Sylvia. Your website is my ‘go to’ for anything I want to cook and even things that I didn’t know I want to cook.
Thanks Joseph- glad you enjoyed this!
Hi Sylvia, this may sound like a silly question to you, but please tell me what is Chinese 5 spice? Thank you so very much!
Hi Nadia, not a silly question! It is a blend of 5 spices: Star Anise, Fennel Seeds, Szechuan Peppercorns ( or regular peppercorns), whole cloves and cinnamon. We have a recipe for it on the blog! Easy to make.