Chinese-inspired Sesame Noodles, loaded up with healthy veggies and tossed in the most delicious, creamy Sesame Sauce made with tahini paste! Make this in 20 minutes flat. video!
Here’s a simple recipe for Sesame Noodles loaded up with healthy veggies- perfect for cleaning out all the stray fresh veggies hiding in the fridge. You could also make this with pre-packaged stir-fry veggies, or use what you have on hand.
This Creamy Sesame Sauce is so flavorful it won’t matter what combination of veggies you use. Traditionally this Chinese noodle dish is made without veggies at all- so you could go that route and add chicken for protein if you like. Very adaptable.
How to make Sesame Noodles! | 45-sec video
What I love about this Recipe
- It’s fast and easy! This can be made in 15-20 minutes. Seriously, just as long as it takes to heat the water and boil the noodles. While the noodles are boiling you can easily make the sesame sauce and saute the veggies.
- It’s adaptable- use what veggies you like, keep it vegan, or add leftover chicken.
- The Chinese sauce is a little different- it’s creamy, rather than oily!
- It’s perfect for make-ahead lunches!
How to make Sesame Noodles (Step-by-step)
Step one: Saute garlic, onion, ginger and veggies. Here I’ve gathered up a carrot, some leftover mushrooms, cabbage and broccolini. Bell pepper, asparagus, green beans, snow peas, shredded brussel sprouts- any quick-cooking veggies will work. You’ll need about 4 cups.
Step two: While the veggies are sauteing, cook the noodles.
Boil and drain the noodles – here, I’ve just used chow mein noodles- but you could use soba noodles, buckwheat noodles or even plain old spaghetti. Use what you have. I prefer a more toothsome noodle here over rice noodles to hold up to the sauce- but you do you. Your favorite GF pasta would work too. 🙂
Step three: Make the creamy sesame sauce. Traditionally a Chinese-style sesame paste would be used here, but for simplicity, I’m using tahini paste. One less trip to the store. Chinese sesame paste is made with toasted sesame seeds instead of raw sesame seeds- so to compensate I’ve added a little toasted sesame oil.
Stir the tahini paste with soy sauce, sesame oil, honey or alternative, chili paste, rice vinegar, and a little water. If you like it extra saucy, feel free to double the sauce.
Step four: Combine! Toss it all together with the veggies, noodles, and Sesame sauce and serve it up nice and warm.
Step five: divide among bowls. This makes roughly 3 hearty meals.
Serve this with chili paste if you like, toasted sesame seeds and crushed peanuts! I always love adding something fresh like sprouts or scallions or even sliced cucumber or radish.
If making this ahead, toss the noodles with sesame oil and wait to add the Creamy Sesame Sauce until serving.
So there you have it. A simple, mouthwatering vegan lunch or dinner that can be made in 20 minutes flat, using ingredients you probably have on hand!
Ok- Let us know how you like the Chinese Sesame Noodles with veggies in the comments below. I hope you are holding up OK and having a restful week.
xoxo
More Noodle Salads!
Sesame Noodles
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
- Category: noodles, main, vegan, stir fry
- Method: stir fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Chinese-inspired Sesame Noodles loaded up with healthy veggies and tossed in a creamy Sesame Sauce! Make this in 20 minutes flat! Keep it vegan or add chicken- up to you!
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons oil
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
- 1/2 an onion, sliced
- 4 cups veggies (cabbage, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, snow peas, etc.) cut small.
- 4–6 ounces dry soba noodles (or sub buckwheat noodles, chow mein noodles, low mein, spaghetti, gluten-free noodles, etc.)
Creamy Sesame Sauce: (For extra “saucy” double this)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (Or GF Braggs Liquid Aminos)
- 3 tablespoons tahini paste, or Chinese Sesame Paste
- 1–2 tablespoons water, more as needed.
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
- 1–2 teaspoon chili paste or sriracha, more to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: scallions, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, sprouts, roasted peanuts, sliced cucumber or radish.
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package directions.
- At the same time, in a large skillet (or wok) heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and the veggies of your choice. Saute, 3-4 minutes, turn heat down to low, and continue cooking until just tender.
- At the same time, make the Creamy Sesame Sauce: Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with fork until smooth. If it feels overly thick, thin with water. Taste. Add more chili paste and salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine: Once the veggies are tender-crisp, and the noodles are drained, toss them together along with the sauce, coating well. Serve warm.
- Garnish with microgreens, scallions, peanuts, or any of the other options.
Notes
If you want rich thick sesame sauce, leave out the water (or if your tahini paste seems very runny). You can always add water to thin.
If making this ahead, toss noodles with a little sesame oil to prevent them form sticking. Wait to toss with the creamy Sesame Sauce until ready to serve. This can be served warm or cold.
Feel free to add crispy tofu or leftover baked chicken.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ¼ cup
- Calories: 372
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 720.6 mg
- Fat: 16.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.8 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 11.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This was delicious and just as quick a meal as promised. Super versatile, everyone loved it, will definitely make again. Thanks so much!
Easy, quick, and so tasty! A favourite in our house. I have this, the Bali bowl, and your Thai noodle salad on repeat and they are all SO good. Thank you for your recipes!
This was delicious! I used lots of vegetables, so the prep time took longer than indicated above. But the time was well worth it. I used soba noodles- they worked well. Thank you Sylvia for another fabulous recipe!
Absolutely delicious and super easy! My favorite combo : )
This was really good! The whole family enjoyed it.
Awesome great to hear! 🙌
Make this dish tonight. Fantastic flavours, I add tofu to mine. Hubby is loving your recipes another winner!
Awesome- glad he liked it! 🙌
This was absolutely delicious and even looked gorgeous on the plate. I made it with soba buckwheat noodles and crispy tofu. For the veggies I had broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garnished it with sesame seeds, scallions, bean sprouts and thinly sliced radishes. Thank you once again!
Awesome, thanks, great to hear! 🙌
Absolutely delicious! No surprise as all of the dishes we’ve done from here have been tasty!
Thanks so much and so happy you liked it! 👏
We made this last night. The sauce was made during lunch, and waited patiently in the fridge. Noodles cooked while chopping veggies. Cooked it all up, in batches because my pan is not big enough. Then tossed together. SO AMAZING. I ate it leftovers cold out of the fridge for breakfast. I’m putting this into a regular rotation. Thanks Sylvia!
Awesome Shallan- glad you liked it. Hope you guys are hanging in there. xo
Thank you for this excellent recipe. Sauce was especially delicious. Added fried tofu on top. Yum!
Thank you for this recipe. It is so delicious! We have served it a few times. We add extra boiling water to the sauce to make a broth. Then, we layer the noodles, veggies, and garnishes on top. There are no leftovers 🙂
Would peanut butter work in place of tahini? It would turn into peanut noodles and not sesame noodles. I just don’t have any on hand.
yes, I think so!
This was wonderful! I know the problem with runny sauce because it happened to me as well. I used tahini, not tahini paste! To adjust, I whisked in some cornstarch, and added the sauce to the vegetables and let it cook down. Our family has vegans and omnivores, so I sauteed shrimp on the side and made everyone happy.
Great way of fixing it- love it!
Oh my lands, Sylvia, we loved, loved this!! So much flavor and everything went together so well.
Thank so much Laura. Glad you liked it!
Great for a quick, tasty lunch. With my limited grocery shopping during this covid era, I used trader Joe’s frozen Asian vegetables. Added tofu, green onions and sesame seeds. Hope everyone is safe – challenging times!
I made this last night and it was so easy and so delicious! I used shallot, red bell pepper, finely sliced Brussels sprouts, carrot and broccoli. The sauce was amazing. I prepped everything, including the sauce, and blanching the carrot and broccoli for a minute or two, and then put the noodles on to boil. Once they were on I started the stir-fry. Perfection! Thank you so much!
Just made the sauce. Not sure what I did wrong. Followed the recipe exactly but my sauce is not creamy. but watery. Has anyone else had this problem? Maybe when I put the whole dish together the noodles will soak up all the liquid?
Hummm, sorry about that Cindy. I wonder if your sesame paste was on the runny/oily side?
This was fantastic! I doubled the sauce but found that it was a little thinner than I like, so next time I will omit some of the water. Absolutely delicious, and will definitely make again. I used the Banza chickpea spaghetti (I have a wheat allergy), and it tasted like I remember spaghetti tasting, so that’s a bonus 🙂
Will definitely make again and I’m looking forward to the cold noodles tomorrow for lunch!
The Sesame Noodle recipe was perfect! We abused. I cut the oil in half but all else exactly to directions. Freddie says it’s his favorite now. Thanks so much.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Suzanne!
Just made this for dinner. Great use of veggies that need a new purpose! Loved the sauce! Thank you.
Glad you liked this Marilyn!
Delicious and a great way to use up a bunch of random bits vegetables in my fridge.
Really lovely…thank you.
Used up some old veggies in the fridge for this recipe- and honestly wasn’t really expecting this to be as good as it was, given how simple the recipe seemed. It is very addicting and can’t wait to make it again.
We made this for lunch yesterday- so delicious. My husband gobbled it up and asked for more.
Can’t wait to try this! Hot dry sesame noodles is the famous dish from the beleaguered city of Wuhan, my home for two years.
Let me know what you think- it’s not a traditional recipe, so probably a lot different.