Thai Peanut Noodles

What better way to purge the crisper drawer than this simple, flavour packed Thai Peanut Noodle dish? Tons of veggies form the backbone of this hearty meal, accented with vegan ground meat and noodles that cook in the sauce - no extra pot needed!

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The only downside about a looming vacation is trying to shop and cook enough so you don't starve, but not so much you have a billion things in your crisper and fridge that will go bad. Being that it's summer, the quantity of vegetables in our house is large, and with my mom away I wanted to be able to make meals for her to come back to that used up all (or at least some) of the produce, were simple, and could be frozen for even she's running around with my nephew. Luckily we also have a well stocked pantry, and I was inspired by a tub of peanut butter I picked up from Bulk Barn to make cookies and never finished. 

An hour later, I had a huge pot of a Thai-inspired vegan peanut curry, filled with tons of veggies and noodles for even more texture and nutrition. The noodles cooked in the curry sauce, which not only infused them with the spicy peanutty flavour but thickened the sauce just enough where it moved from "soup" to "sauce" consistency - perfect!

As I said, this makes a lot of curry, but it keeps well and can be frozen. If you don't have or like the vegetables I used, swap in your favourites! I basically just kept going until the pot was full. Any thin noodle will work as well, so if you only have spaghetti, or rice noodles, or bean thread noodles, throw them in! The versatility here means you never have to make it the same way twice.

Thai Peanut Noodles

Serves 8

2 tbsp canola oil 

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 large onion, sliced into thin half moons

1 lb ground meat, ground meat substitute or diced tofu

1 tbsp minced garlic

7 tbsp red curry paste, divided (I used Maeseri, which was a whole can's worth)

4 medium zucchini, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 head broccoli, diced

400g thin noodles (I used 1 bag each of LIVIVA Soybean and Black Bean Spaghetti)

 

Sauce

3 cups vegetable broth

3 tbsp cider vinegar

1 can full fat coconut milk

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural)

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

1. In a large pot, heat the oils until shimmering over medium high heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the ground meat, garlic and 3 tbsp of the curry paste and cook until meat is no longer pink or the vegan ground / tofu begins to take on some browning.
4. Add the vegetables and remaining curry paste and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat everything well.
5. Add the sauce mixture, stir well and bring to a low boil. 
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add the dry noodles to the pot, pressing down to cover them with the sauce.
8. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, until the noodles are done.
9. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 1 week. May be frozen.