Peanutty Udon Noodles with Veggies

Andrew loves pasta. K is obsessed with peanut butter. I am all about the veggies. This recipe marries all three. The best part? You can customize it any way you want. Switch the veggies up, use regular pasta, try a specialty flavor of peanut butter. Make it your way - don't forget to come back and tell me all about it!


Peanutty Udon Noodles with Veggies
Makes 4 servings

What I use:

• 8 oz. udon noodles
• 2 c. sugar snap peas, cut in half*
• 1 c. broccoli florets, cut small*
• 1 c. shredded carrots*
• 1/4 c. peanut butter, creamy or smooth
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger (I use a microplane)
• 1 tsp. cornstarch, optional

How I do it:

Prep the veggies.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and set a timer according to your package. (I have seen everything from 4 minutes to 15 minutes.)

2. While the noodles are boiling, place the peanut butter, brown sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger in a small pot.

3. When the noodles have 2 to 5 minutes left, add the vegetable to the boiling noodle water. Use less time if you want the veggies to be crisp and more time if you want them tender. (You could even leave them raw and toss them in after the sauce if you really wanted to.)

4. Thoroughly mix the peanut butter mixture in the small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 2 minutes. If you want the sauce to stay thinner, skip the cornstarch. If you like a thicker sauce, add it now. When it is done, it will be a beautiful caramel color.

5. Drain the noodles and veggies in a colander and add them back to the pot.

6. Pour the sauce on top and toss to coat well.

Enjoy!

* You can use any veggie combo you like, just make sure it totals 4 cups.

The family says:

• K absolutely adores peanut butter and he inhaled this in less than 10 minutes. (This is a child who takes an hour to eat a half a bowl of cereal, so this is huge!)
• Andrew, however, has peanut butter issues and was willing to try a bite, but not a bowl. He said it was very good, but no thank you. I can live with that.
• I really liked this one. The snap peas added a nice crunch that played well with the creamy peanut sauce. I kept going back for more even though I was full.