Peanut Noodle Bowl
Pantry peanut sauce over noodles and frozen vegetables. Serve warm or cold.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve half a cup of the pasta water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and chili flakes together in a bowl. Thin with a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water until pourable.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the frozen vegetables and cook 4–5 minutes until heated through.
Add the drained pasta and the peanut sauce to the skillet. Toss for 1–2 minutes, adding more pasta water if it looks dry.
Divide among four bowls and top with the green onions. Serve warm, or chill and serve cold as a noodle salad.
Peanut butter and soy sauce do the heavy lifting — this is one of the cheapest bowls on the site.
- A splash of rice vinegar or lime juice cuts the richness if you have it.
- Holds up cold, so it doubles as a packed lunch the next day.
Estimated values per serving.
This recipe can be made gluten-free with substitutions.
- Replace dry pasta with gluten-free pasta or rice noodles (GF pasta runs about $1–2 more)
- Replace soy sauce with gluten-free tamari (similar price)
Use rice noodles or gluten-free pasta and swap the soy sauce for tamari. The peanut sauce itself is naturally gluten-free.