Easy Make Ahead Sesame Pasta
A thick, creamy and perfectly spiced sauce over soba noodles punctuated with crisp cucumber, peppery arugula, and pickled radish is a quick, satisfying dish that is super flavorful! A perfect weeknight meal!
Almond butter is packed with healthy fats, iron, fiber and Vitamin E and is fabulous to smear on toasted bread or an English muffin, but is also great in sauces, dressings and baked goods. Here, I decided to BE BRAVE and use it in my pasta sauce in place of the more traditional peanut butter.
Soaking the radishes in the vinegar turns them a beautiful pickled pink and gives them a nice tangy pop of crunch against the creamy and rich sauce.
Eat this dish hot or cold, it is delicious either way and can be made vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or add grilled tofu, chicken or even some chickpeas to up the protein of the dish.
Happy cooking!
Cold Almond & Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
(* indicates my preferred ingredients – see notes for alternatives)
8 oz Soba noodles *
½ cup creamy almond butter
2 tablespoons O&V Roasted Sesame oil *
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (more or less to your preferred level of spice)
4 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
¼ cup water (more as needed)
2 cups baby arugula or arugula microgreens
½ cup thinly sliced radishes
¼ cup O&V Honey Ginger vinegar *
1¼ teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
1 English cucumber, deseeded and chopped (about 1 ½ cups of chopped cucumber)
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Grilled chicken or tofu (optional)
Preparation
Make the sauce by vigorously whisking together the almond butter, sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of water and ¾ teaspoon of salt.
Stir the vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of salt together in a bowl and add the sliced radishes. Let them sit for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure all the radishes are well submerged.
Place cucumbers in a large bowl and toss with remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt for a few minutes. Cook the noodles in boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Add to the bowl with cucumbers.
Drain the radishes, reserving the vinegar. Add 3 tablespoons of the vinegar to the almond butter mixture and whisk until well combined. Add more water as needed to create a thick and creamy sauce.
Add to the bowl of noodles and cucumber and toss to coat. Add the grilled tofu or chicken at this time if using.
Gently fold in the arugula (reserving a little for garnish) and top with the radishes and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 4
Active time 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes
Notes
* The Roasted Sesame Oil adds wonderful flavor to the sauce and really cannot be substituted. I love the subtle sweetness and tang from the Honey Ginger vinegar but you can also substitute with Apple Cider vinegar instead.
Feel free to use regular spaghetti instead of Soba Noodles, although the mild nuttiness and nutritional value of the soba noodles is wonderful in this dish.
All highlighted products are available at Oil & Vinegar stores.
Categories: Entrée, Dairy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Plant Based, Make Ahead, Asian Inspired Flavors, Cold Noodles Salad, Sesame Noodles, Almond Butter, Roasted Sesame Oil, Honey Ginger Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Easy Weeknight Meal, Healthy Eating, Lunch, Mediterranean Diet, Quick Dinner
