Yakisoba Noodles

Yield: 4 servings

Yakisoba is a Japanese stir fry with a noodle base, lots of veggies, and a speedy sauce that's salty-sweet and a little bit tangy. Serve as is for a satisfying meatless meal, or add chicken or shrimp for extra protein.

Yakisoba Noodle Ingredients:

8 ounces yakisoba noodles (may substitute spaghetti, plain ramen, or rice noodles)
8-10 Napa cabbage leaves (may substitute 8 ounces of thinly sliced green cabbage or slaw mix)
½ cup shredded carrots
2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced

Yakisoba Sauce Ingredients:

4 scallions, thinly sliced (root ends discarded)
¼ cup (60ml) soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons (34g) ketchup
2 tablespoons (30ml) Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon (12g) brown sugar
1 tablespoon (14g) toasted sesame oil

For the Pan:

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

Instructions:

Combine the sauce ingredients: In a small bowl, stir together the scallions, soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions.

Drain the noodles in a colander, and then set them aside.

While the noodles cook, thinly slice the cabbage leaves, and place them in a large bowl.

Add the carrots, ginger, and garlic to the bowl.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and cook for 30 seconds without stirring. Then cook 2-3 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is slightly wilted.

Add the noodles and the sauce to the skillet. Toss with tongs for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is absorbed. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

For extra vegetables and color, you could add one small, thinly sliced red bell pepper to the cabbage mixture. A side of roasted broccoli is nice with this meal too.

For extra protein, you could top the noodles with cooked chicken or shrimp. Or serve with a side of steamed edamame.

Make it gluten-free: For a gluten-free recipe, choose gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, and use rice noodles or gluten-free spaghetti.

Single serve ramen packages work well. In this case, discard the seasoning packets. I use three packages, which is 9 ounces. It will be a slightly lower sauce-to-noodle ratio, but it works well…and breaking off one ounce seems silly!