Rainbow Peanut Noodles Vegan Pasta Bake

By Taylor KiserMar 26, 2023Jump to Recipe

This Peanut Noodle Vegan Pasta Bake is made with tofu noodles, fresh veggies, and a Thai peanut curry sauce for an easy, meatless, weeknight-friendly meal that is under 200 calories!

Vegan Pasta Bake with Rainbow Thai Peanut Noodles - Tofu noodles, fresh veggies and a creamy, Thai peanut curry sauce make this easy, meatless, weeknight-friendly meal that is under 200 calories! | Foodfaithfitness.com | @FoodFaithFit

Why You Will LOVE This Recipe

You won’t be able to keep your face from being planted inside this skillet of super velvety-smooth, saucy and perfectly spicy-sweet peanut noodles.

It’s peanut noodles that are mixed with, ummm, ALL the crisp-n-crunchy fresh vegetables that I could fit into my shopping cart.

The tofu noodles. This isn’t the first tofu noodle rodeo here on FFF. You know I love them. You’ve seen the recipes and the countless Instagram posts about my most favorite stir-fry lunch EVER. I mean how can you not love noodles that fill your every comforting-carb-needing ways for only 10 CALORIES a serving?!
Doing a little oven time helps get the sauce to thicken up, and really ENHANCES that sweet and spicy peanut-y flavor. Plus the veggies get all sorts of tender crisp in a way that made Mr. FFF NOT LEAVE ME ANY LEFTOVERS.

INGREDIENTS

2 packages tofu fettuccini noodles
1/2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 cup carrot, thinly sliced (about half a large carrot)
1/4 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup snow peas, halved
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
3 tbsp natural creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 tbsp + 2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
juice of 1 small lime
cilantro, for garnish
diced peanuts, for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Drain and rinse the noodles. Place them onto a paper towel, pat out as much moisture as you can, and gently cut the noodles to make them shorter. This makes serving easier. Set aside.
Heat the peanut oil on MED/HIGH in a medium cast-iron skillet. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly and until golden brown and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the sliced carrot and cook until lightly brown and they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
Add in the peppers, peas and cabbage and cook for two minutes. Add in the tofu noodles and cook for an additional two minutes until lightly browned.
Add the peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, curry paste, coconut sugar and lime juice into the pan and stir until the peanut butter melts and the everything is mixed well.
Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to MEDIUM and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, and reduces by about half, about 7-8 minutes.
Pat the noodles down with a spatula so that the mixture is very flat and condensed and place the skillet into the oven. Bake until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly, about 30-35 minutes.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes then cut, garnish with cilantro and peanuts (if desired)
DEVOUR!

Variations

As with all my recipes, I suggest you try it as it’s prescribed here first. THEN make changes to appeal to your taste buds. Here are some suggestions:

Swap the vegetables: Obviously, if you know you don’t like the veggies listed here, switch them out. Some options could include broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, or edamame.

Add protein: The tofu noodles have protein but if you want something more substantial, you could add cubes of tofu to the sauce or forgo the ‘vegan’ part and add diced chicken, shrimp, or tempeh.

Add spice: Bring the heat with some red pepper flakes or Sriracha sauce in the peanut sauce.

Use different noodles: While this recipe calls for tofu fettuccine noodles (you should try them at least once!), you could also try using soba noodles, udon noodles, or even spaghetti noodles.

Add more peanut butter: If you love the taste of peanut butter, you could add more than the 3 tablespoons called for in the recipe. And really, is more peanut butter ever a bad thing?

FAQs

Which brand of noodles did you use?

I used House Foods Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Noodles.

Is the coconut milk canned or from the carton?

I recommend canned.

how do you know when the noodles are properly drained?

I usually rinse off any odor first. Then I put the noodles in a colander or sieve and shake off any excess water. Last, I use a paper towel and blot the noodles until they are dry to the touch.

How To Store Rainbow Peanut Vegan Pasta Bake

Let it cool completely. You might want to break the bake down into smaller servings at this point. It will make reheating a snap. Put the servings in airtight containers; you don’t want to risk the pasta drying out. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. The texture may have changed after freezing but the leftover should still be delicious.

Recipe