Say hello to my new favorite 20-minute dinner – Vegan Sweet Pepper and Mushroom Soba Noodle Stir Fry. The alternate title was here’s-everything-in-my-fridge-that-needs-to-get-eaten-before-we-go-away-for-the-long-weekend-stir-fry. Just didn’t have the same ring as the actual title. A little too long, perhaps? Yea, I kinda thought so too.
Last week was an awkward week in terms of cooking. After being up in Maine the weekend before Labor Day we came home to a half-full fridge. It wasn’t quite at that empty point where grocery shopping was a must. But, it wasn’t overflowing with choices either. And, since we were headed out of town for the long weekend I didn’t see the point in buying more food we weren’t going to be home to eat. Also, I was too lazy to go grocery shopping. So, we played the ever-chancy game of let’s see how creative our dinners can get.
This game usually goes one of two ways (there’s very little middle ground) – dinner is either shockingly amazing or a total failure.
Spoiler alert…the result was amazing. But when you’e got soba noodles + veggies on your side how can it not be?!
I {heart} stir fries so much! The list goes on and on, but here’s my top 3 reasons why they’re so awesome…
* The time factor. Stir fries are a quick and easy dinner time and time again. There’s minimal prep work involved, and once you get cooking, you’re looking at just 15-20 minutes.
* The versatility. You can use any types of veggies you have hanging out in your kitchen. You can also give your stir fry a little more bulk with tofu, chicken of beef.
* They’re a great clean-out-the-fridge meal. Stir fries are one of my go-to meals when I’m trying to use up food in the fridge and it even occasionally work for re-purposing leftovers.
This simple vegan and gluten free stir fry combines a pretty blend of red, orange and yellow bell peppers (feel free to use whatever colors you have handy), shiitake mushrooms, spinach and soba noodles with a garlicky-ginger sauce. I also added a tiny bit of sambal olek (a type of spicy chili sauce) for a touch of heat. If you’re using it, keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way, and if you’re not into spicy food, don’t worry, you can leave it out and still get a delicious sauce.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon samal olek
- 1 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 6 ounces soba noodles
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 bell peppers (any color), core & seeds removed, sliced thin
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed & sliced thin
- 2 cups baby spinach
- sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- salt & pepper
Instructions
In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce, mirin, honey, sambal olek, ginger, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Whisk in the cornstarch and continue mixing until it's completely dissolved. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the noodles are just a tiny bit under cooked. They'll finish cooking in the pan with the veggies and sauce. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and mushrooms, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and stirfry for about 5 minutes. Add the soba noodle and a tiny bit of sauce to the pan. Use tongs to move the noodles and veggies around the pan, to mix everything together. Add the remainder of the sauce to the pan. Continue stirring to coat the noodles and veggies with the sauce. Cook until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Divide the stir fry between plates, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions, and serve immediately.
Notes
To keep this meal gluten free be sure to use buckwheat soba noodles and gluten free tamari
Enjoy!
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks beautiful! Love all of the colors. And that sauce sounds AMAZING. :)
Thanks so much, Ali!
I love when cleaning out the fridge can turn into something delicious like this!
Yes! I always makes me feel super productive, too, in a weird way :) Thanks, Jessica!
I always love quick and easy meals. This soba noodle stir fry looks like the perfect weeknight meal! I hope you are having a great week, Kelli!
I sort of feel like quick + easy dinner has been the story of my life lately :) Thanks, Ashley!
This look absolutely delicious!!! I love anything with soba noodles!
Thanks, Liz! Soba noodles are the best!!
I love the way you prepared this! Actually, I think I have most ingredients you used so probably I’m gonna do it today !
I love when I find recipes and happen to already have the ingredients in my kitchen! Enjoy, Marcela!
I can never get enough soba noodles in my life! Love these kinds of meals! And I bought like 5 lbs of soba noodles the last time I was at an Asian supermarket, so I already have practically everything on hand.
Thanks, friend! I have got to start going to the Asian supermarket. The thought of 5 lbs of soba noodles makes me oddly happy :)
I am seriously impressed with how delicious this soba stir fry looks! Definitely a great weeknight meal that I will be recreating.. thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much, Thalia! Hope you enjoy!
I love soba noodles and this dish with peppers and mushrooms sound perfect for weeknight dinner! Delish!
Soba noodles are the greatest!! Thank you, Ami!
This is such a wonderfully healthy meal! I just wanted to let you know that I have a website (Simply Creative Recipes) where I showcase recipes that I find and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind. You are welcome to submit your recipes to my site if you’d like.
Thanks so much, Alyssa!
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