Quick Asian Noodle Bowls with Colorful Vegetables

Quick Asian noodle bowls are an easy delivery system for an array of colorful vegetables. This might just become your go-to recipe when you crave a warming Asian-style dish in minutes. Make sure that the vegetables are barely cooked, so they retain their flavor, color, and crunch.

Bean-thread noodles: Sometimes called cellophane or glass noodles, these are readily available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets, as well as natural foods stores.

Bean-thread noodles are generally considered gluten-free, but as with all packaged products, pay attention to whether the package states that they’re prepared in a facility that processes foods with gluten. See more in this site’s Guide to Bean-Thread Noodles.

You’re welcome to substitute other kinds of noodles, as suggestion under variations in the Notes section of the recipe box — rice vermicelli, soba, or udon.

Complete the meal: Serve with a simple tofu dish (or even some sliced baked tofu) a platter of baby carrots and cherry or grape tomatoes. Another nice addition is vegetable springMake sure to take a look at the variations following the recipe box! 

Recipe adapted from Plant Power by Nava Atlas. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, Bittersweetblog.com.

Yield: 4

Quick Asian Noodle & Vegetable Bowls 

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Once you get the hang of this recipe, which is about equal parts soup and noodle dish, it might just be the thing you want to make when you crave a warming Asian-style dish in minutes.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• Three 2-ounce bundles bean-thread noodles

• 32-ounce container low-sodium vegetable broth

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, or from a jar or squeeze bottle

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (see Note)
• 
1 to 1 1/2 cups brown mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 
(shiitake, cremini, or about half of each)

• 2 large bok choy stalks, sliced diagonally, 
or 1 to 2 baby bok choy, sliced on a slight diagonal

• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips

• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

• 3 scallions, thinly sliced 

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the bean thread noodles according to package directions. Usually, they’re cooked as follows: Place in a shallow, heatproof container, then cover them with boiling water. Cover the container with its lid. Let the noodles soak for 15 minutes.
2. Once the noodles are done, drain them and cut here and there with kitchen shears or a knife to shorten, since they’re very long.
3. Meanwhile, heat the broth in a small soup pot with the ginger and the mushrooms. 
4. When it comes to a gentle boil, add the bok choy, bell pepper, and peas, and scallions. 
5. Return to a simmer, then remove from the heat and grind in some pepper.
6. Divide the noodles between four large soup bowls. Ladle the soup over them and serve at once.

Notes

Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari to keep this recipe gluten-free.

As mentioned in the headnote, if you're concerned about gluten, check the package labeling of the bean-threads to see if there's a disclaimer.

Variations

• Vary the quick-cooking veggies according to what you have on hand. Baby corn, snow peas, shredded zucchini, very small broccoli florets are just a few possibilities. In place of the baby spinach you can use baby arugula, watercress, or thinly sliced romaine lettuce.
• Use Asian rice vermicelli, soba, or udon noodles in place of the bean threads. Cook according to package directions as the first step of this recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 210Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 500mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 10gSugar: 9gProtein: 4g

Nutritional date is always an estimate, based on program used to calculate and specific products.

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