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Easy Stir-Fried Vegetables and Noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce

Easy Stir-Fried Vegetables and Noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce

I love a good stir-fry! It’s one of my go-to methods of cooking when I just don’t have the time or I’m too lazy to cook up a meal that requires more attention or has more complicated instructions.

It’s also a great clean-out your fridge and pantry type of meal. I use the vegetables and protein that I have at home and quickly cook them up in the wok. Mix in with some noodles (or rice) and a yummy sauce and you’ve got dinner ready in a hurry.

Don’t have a wok? Use a flat and wide pan with sides that distributes heat evenly, like a large sauté pan.

Check out two of my favourite noodle dishes that I make frequently in the wok: Vegetarian Pad See Ew with Tofu and Chinese Eggplant and Lo Mein Noodles with Chinese Sausage and Gai Lan!

Scott’s a big noodle fan. So much so that, when we order takeout, he will substitute whatever rice is included in the dinner combo with a noodle option. When testing out recipes, we often have leftovers, but I know if there are noodles involved and Scott’s eating, there won’t be any for tomorrow.

The first time I made Vegetarian Pad See Ew with Tofu and Chinese Eggplant , we must have had it at least three times in two weeks. Part of this was trying to perfect the recipe, but part of it was Scott wanting it again.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Stir-Fried Vegetables and Noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce!

How do you make this stir-fried recipe?

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions available in the recipe card down below)

Sliced red cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, and red onion on a baking sheet.

Sliced red cabbage, carrots, red bell pepper, and red onion on a baking sheet. So colourful! I like to cut them into relatively similar sized strips that’s close to the width of the noodles. Slice them thinner to cook even faster.

Peanut sauce in a clear glass bowl.

Yum! The peanut sauce is simply whisked in a bowl. The peanut butter may appear to separate from the other ingredients at first, but if you continue whisking, everything will combine together into a creamy sauce.

Stir-fried onions, bell pepper, red cabbage, and carrots in a large wok.

TIp: Stir-fry the carrots first (with the aromatic onions and garlic) for a couple minutes as it’s the “hardest” vegetable and then the rest so they all end up tender-crisp at the same time.

Rice stick noodles combined with peanut sauce in a large wok.

Another Tip: Use kitchen tongs to easily toss the noodles with the sauce. The noodles will suck up the sauce and give it a creamy and tender texture.

Stir-Fry Vegetables and Noodles with Peanut Sauce in a wooden bowl and in a wok; a bowl of vegetables to the side.

This vegetable and noodle stir-fry is:

  • Tasty and filling: It’s full of colourful and healthy vegetables, which includes tender-crisp orange carrots, red cabbage, red bell pepper, and red onions!
    • The rainbow veggies are combined with the soft, flat, wide rice noodles that’s tossed in a quick homemade sweet, salty, and slightly sour peanut butter sauce and then topped with fresh green cilantro and chopped roasted peanuts.
    • This vegetable and noodle dish is simply delicious. It has sweet, salty, sour, and umami flavours that are so satisfying.
    • If you like more protein, add in some tofu to keep this a vegetarian/vegan meal or add chicken or beef to bulk up the protein in this meal.
  • Quick and easy: This recipe takes 25 minutes or less from start to finish so it’s great to make for a weeknight or lazy day meal.
    • The key is to prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking.
    • For this recipe, I sliced the vegetables into strips, but chop the veggies into little pieces if you want instead. I like to cook the noodles while preparing the vegetables and mixing the sauce ingredients together at the same time.
    • Once the wok gets hot and you start stir-frying, the process goes fast and you have dinner ready in no time at all!
  • Substitutable: The best thing about stir-fry meals is the versatility. Switch out or add more vegetables such as snap peas, broccoli, and green beans or throw in some mushrooms for that earthy, meaty flavour.
  • Scalable: Make as much as you like! This recipe is easy to scale up or down so you can just feed yourself or a crowd. This meal is great for leftovers too!
Stir-Fry Vegetables and Noodles with Peanut Sauce in a wooden bowl and in a wok behind it.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try it out, make sure to rate and comment below or tag me on any of my social media.

Easy Stir-Fried Vegetables and Noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce

Easy Stir-Fried Vegetables and Noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Fast and delicious! Check out this simple and colourful stir-fry dish with a tasty peanut butter sauce!

Ingredients

For the stir-fry:

  • 6 oz dried rice stick noodles *(see first note)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or sesame oil), divided
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 carrots, sliced into strips
  • 8 oz (2 ½ cups) red cabbage, sliced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, sliced into strips

For the peanut sauce:

  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Optional toppings:

  • Fresh cilantro
  • Chopped peanuts

Instructions

  1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions until al dente, rinse with cold water and drain. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
  3. Place a large wok (or sauté pan) on the stovetop at medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, onions, garlic, and carrots to the wok, stirring frequently until onions become translucent and carrots just begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add the remaining vegetables (bell pepper and cabbage) to the wok and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 2-4 minutes. Remove the ingredients from the wok into a bowl.
  5. Decrease the temperature to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil into the wok along with the noodles and sauce on top. Using tongs, toss the ingredients until the noodles are well-coated with sauce. Remove from heat.
  6. Return the vegetables back into the wok and gently combine together or plate noodles with vegetables on top if you prefer **(see second note). Optionally, top the noodles with fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts. Best served immediately.

Notes

  • *Substitute rice noodles with spaghetti or linguine if you like.
  • **Mixing the vegetables back into the noodles will result in the noodles picking up a greyish-purple colour from the cabbage. Serve the vegetables on top of noodles to prevent that from happening.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 465Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 740mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 10gSugar: 16gProtein: 15g

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Zanya Miller

Saturday 25th of January 2020

This was easy and delicious

Marie | Yay! for Food

Sunday 26th of January 2020

Thank you Zanya! So happy to hear you like this stir-fry!

Miranda

Monday 16th of July 2018

Marie thanks for this delicious recipe, i truly loved it and recommend it.

Marie | Yay! For Food

Tuesday 17th of July 2018

Thank you so much Miranda! This makes me happy to hear!

Eena

Sunday 18th of February 2018

This recipe looks so good! I love peanut sauce and I think it works really well with salads. Thanks for sharing!

☼ <a href="http://www.chrisandeena.com/">cabin twenty-four</a>

Marie | Yay! For Food

Monday 19th of February 2018

You're welcome, Eena!

Nancy

Saturday 17th of February 2018

You're always pulling off some delicious recipes! I like how the ingredients used can be a flexible and perfect way to clean your fridge's inventory! PEANUT SAUCE IS SO GOOD!!!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Marie!

https://exquisitely.me

Marie | Yay! For Food

Saturday 17th of February 2018

You're welcome Nancy! Peanut sauce is so good! :)

Thao @ In Good Flavor

Saturday 17th of February 2018

I love anything with peanut sauce and when you add noodles, it's a winning combo! The vibrant color of the vegetables makes it look even more amazing!!

Marie | Yay! For Food

Saturday 17th of February 2018

Thank you Thao! It's a great combination of ingredients.

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