Healthy and Delicious Vegetarian Ramen Salad
If there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that noodles will never cease to comfort us and fill our bellies with satisfaction. It’s not just us, either! The feedback that we get from our noodle recipes is filled with lots of good reviews. Or more like, ”Omnomnom,” “Mmm!”, and “There was not enough for lunch the next day, because we ate it all!”
In other words, noodles are total winner dinners. Our members raved about our Stir-Fried Chicken Udon and went nuts over the Shrimp Peanut Noodles. (Pun intended.) And our meal plans have had quite their fair share of noodle recipes. You would think that everyone would protest against noodles by now, but nope! They love ‘em, we love ‘em, and you will surely love the recipe we have for you this week.
“We all loved this one. The toasted sesame oil with the lime was a delicious seasoning combination.”
-Julia
Loaded with crispy, golden tofu, crunchy broccoli and carrots, and some lime juice and Sriracha to punch it up a little, this noodle dish is not only super delicious, it’s also very easy to make. Since it’s a noodle salad, you can even make it the day before and enjoy it chilled for lunch or dinner. Plus, it will have had time for that tasty sesame-soy marinade to soak into each strand of noodle and piece of veggie or tofu.
It’s like that Paulo Coelho quote: “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things…”
Frankly, we think that this recipe pertains to that. Enjoy!
“Loved this! I highly recommend adding the sriracha, it added such an awesome kick. It was such an easy meal and made fabulous leftovers.”
-Sarah
Cooking Smarts:
- Want to #eatmoreveggies or go the low-carb route? Try turning zucchini into zoodles for a healthier and just-as-tasty alternative!
- The sesame-soy dressing does double-duty in this recipe – as a marinade for the tofu, and as a dressing for the whole dish. This is a great time saver for whenever you make a dressing / marinade.
- Save money and reduce food waste by using any leftover veggies you have in your fridge or freezer instead. Get creative!
Prepping Smarts:
Learn how to grate carrots and chop broccoli with these simple how-to videos:
How to Grate Carrots
Learn how to use a food processor to quickly grate carrots.
How to Chop Broccoli
Watch this video to learn how to chop broccoli for a variety of tasty uses.
If you have problems with tofu always breaking up on you when cooking, check out this video to see how to prep and cook tofu:
How to Prepare Tofu
Learn how to prep and cook tofu the right way with this short video.
Equipment Smarts:
This dish comes together easily with dishes that you most likely already have on hand: a saucepan and a wok!
For more kitchen and equipment and tool smarts, visit our ‘Essential Kitchen Cookware and Tools’
Ingredients
- Brown sugar - 2 tsp
- Soy sauce - 3 tbsp
- Rice vinegar - 3 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil - 1 tbsp
- Cooking oil - 6 tbsp
- Extra-firm tofu - 1 lb., sliced into 1/2" thick slices (Look for the vacuum-packed kind that does not break apart when cooking)
- Green onions - 2 stalks, chopped
- Carrots - 2, grated
- Broccoli - 1 head, chopped
- Ramen noodles - 6 oz.
- Lime - 1/2, juice of
- Sriracha - to taste
- Salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
Prep
- Make marinade – Whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cooking oil.
- Tofu – Slice into matchsticks. Cover in half the marinade and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Green onions / Carrots / Broccoli – Prep as directed. Place broccoli in a microwave-safe container, cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, until broccoli is tender but still crunchy. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Cook ramen – Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt generously and add ramen (or other noodles). Cook according to package instructions. Drain. Use scissors to snip up ramen into shorter more bite-sized pieces. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
Make
- Heat up a wok over medium-high heat. Toss tofu with marinade into heated pan. Saute until tofu is golden and crisp on the outside, ~5 minutes.
- Toss remainder of marinade with tofu, ramen, green onions, carrots, and broccoli. Finish with lime juice. Season to taste with Sriracha, salt and pepper.
