Peanut Noodles with Edamame and Kohlrabi

These peanut noodles with edamame and kohlrabi are packed with flavor and ready in just 20 minutes! Fresh udon noodles are paired with shelled edamame and kohlrabi then tossed with a ginger lime peanut sauce that ticks all of the major flavor boxes. Each bowl of peanut noodles is garnished with sliced scallions, cilantro, roasted peanuts, and chili pepper for a touch of extra heat. Enjoy these easy peanut noodles anytime you need a quick and flavorful vegan meal option!

I love a quick meal that requires minimal cooking these days! I recently started buying fresh udon noodles that cook in just 30-60 seconds and they have been a gamechanger for whipping up quick dinners. This recent variation pairs cooked udon noodles and shelled edamame with a ginger lime peanut sauce. Fresh kohlrabi is chopped and added for crunch while scallions, cilantro, peanuts, and fresh chili pepper are added for garnish. This simple vegan dinner is packed with flavor and ready in just 20 minutes!

Grab These Ingredients

FOR THE GINGER LIME PEANUT SAUCE

• Peanut Butter — either natural peanut butter or peanut butter spread will work here, just make sure it’s unsweetened! I personally can’t stand having to stir the oil into natural peanut butter so I usually have an unsweetened peanut butter spread on hand. Peanut allergy? Feel free to use tahini or sunflower seed butter instead.
• Miso Paste — adds lovely umami flavor. Go for a mellow miso or white miso for this recipe.
• Lime Juice — adds a bright and tangy flavor to the peanut sauce. I recommend using freshly squeezed lime juice for the best flavor but bottled works in a pinch.
• Tamari — adds umami flavor and seasons. The saltiness of your peanut butter will dictate how much tamari you end up adding. Tamari is typically gluten free but if that is not a concern for you, feel free to use soy sauce.
• Maple Syrup or Honey — helps balance all of the flavors in the peanut sauce.
• Grated Ginger Root — adds subtle warmth and flavor that pairs really well with the peanut and lime.
• Sriracha — this optional ingredient is a great way to amp up the heat! Use as much or as little as you like or leave it out completely to keep the peanut sauce on the mild side.

FOR THE NOODLES

• Udon Noodles — these thick Japanese noodles form the base of the recipe. I prefer using fresh ones since they cook super quickly. Udon is not gluten free so feel free to substitute any thick gluten free noodle in its place if needed!
• Shelled Edamame — shelled edamame is my favorite way to quickly add vegan protein to a recipe. It just needs a quick bath in boiling water with the noodles! You can use fresh or frozen here.
• Kohlrabi — adds a lovely crunchy element to the noodles along with its mildly sweet flavor. If you can’t find kohlrabi, you can substitute Hakurei turnips (baby turnips) or radishes instead.
• Scallions — add a mellow oniony flavor.
• Roasted Peanuts — add crunch.
• Cilantro — lends an aromatic flavor. If you don’t like cilantro, mint or basil are great subs for this recipe!
• Fresno Chili Pepper — optional but another great way to sneak in some spice if that’s your jam!

What is Kohlrabi?

Kohlrabi is a round vegetable that often has leafy greens attached to it and can be green, purple, or white. It’s a member of the brassica family along with other winter favorites like kale and broccoli. Kohlrabi has a flavor that tastes like a cross between a broccoli stem and apples and is typically in season winter through spring. The round bulbous part (which is actually a swollen meristem) and the leaves are both edible. In this recipe, we’re just using the round bulb. To use it in the recipe, you’ll peel off the rough outer skin then do a small or medium dice. If the leafy greens are attached, trim them off and save them for another recipe.

How to Make Peanut Noodles with Edamame and Kohlrabi

Make the peanut sauce fist. Add all of the ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste it and add more lime juice for tang, maple syrup for sweetness, tamari for saltiness, or sriracha for heat. Prep the veggies and garnishes. Chop the kohlrabi (I like cubes that are between 1/4-1/2-inch in size), slice the scallions, chop the roasted peanuts, finely chop the cilantro, and thinly slice the chili pepper if you’re using it.

Cook the udon noodles and edamame. Fresh udon typically needs 3 minutes or less. I like to cook them at the same time to keep it easy! Toss the cooked udon noodles and edamame with the chopped kohlrabi and some of the peanut sauce. The peanut sauce recipe makes a lot so that you can add as much or as little as you like. Start with a little then add more as needed to taste.

Add the peanut noodles to a bowl then add as much of the garnishes as you like: scallions, cilantro, peanuts, and chili peppers.

How to Customize this Recipe

I’m a firm believer in making a recipe fit your tastes, dietary restrictions, and produce availability. Here are some ways to make this recipe work for your preferences:

• Use a gluten free noodle in place of the udon. These will take longer to cook but will still keep the total recipe time under 30 minutes! For gluten free options, I like soba or rice noodles.
• Once you mix the peanut sauce, taste it. If you want it tangier, add more lime juice. To make it saltier, add more tamari and for a sweeter flavor, add more maple syrup. For more spice, add more sriracha.
• Kohlrabi can be typically be found at farmers markets, Asian grocery stores, and well-stocked grocery stores. If you can’t find it, feel free to use 1-2 bunches of Hakurei (baby) turnips or radishes instead.
• The scallions, peanuts, cilantro, and fresno chili peppers are all garnishes which means you can use as much or as little as you want.
• If you have a peanut allergy, you can still make this recipe! Both tahini and sunflower seed butter are great nut-free options.

Other Winter Meals Ready in under 30 Minutes

For something cozy and carb-y, try this Kale Pesto Orzo. If you want another way to enjoy kohlrabi, try this Kohlrabi and Tatsoi Stir-Fry with Ginger Rice. Have some leftover rice lying around? Try this Carrot Ginger Fried Rice.

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