This quick and easy Asian veggie noodle bowl with creamy Thai peanut sauce is a flavorful, delicious and super healthy low carb pasta recipe with vegetable spaghetti made of zucchini and carrots as well as 5-calorie-noodles and crispy tofu as a protein source! It’s the perfect low carb meal as an alternative to a salad!
Low carb peanut noodles with veggie spaghetti
You’re craving pasta but are on a diet or want to lose weight? No problem! This delicious peanut noodle bowl is so tasty that no one will notice it’s low carb and even vegan! Loaded with lots of veggies and the spicy peanut sauce, this noodle dish is not only healthy and nutritious, but also incredibly delicious. The 5-calorie noodles made of algae are fat-free, sugar-free and gluten-free and have only 5 calories per 100g. They also contain important minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron.
What’s the difference between Kelp Noodles, Konjac Noodles and 5-Calorie-Noodles?
If you’ve never heard of 5-calorie-noodles, then you should read on now. The “5-Calorie Noodles” I used are made from kelp which is the starch of the algae. They are available here in Europe, but in America there is also a company that produces “Kelp Noodles”. There are also “Konjac Noodles” available which are low in calories too, but these, on the other hand, are made from konjac flour and not algae. Unlike konjac noodles, the 5-calorie noodles are also odorless and tasteless, similar to glass noodles. While konjac noodles contain a lot of dietary fiber, which can cause gastrointestinal distress if consumed in excess, algae noodles can be consumed without concern.
You can pair low carb noodles perfectly with all kinds of sauces and add them to any flavorful dish. This way you have more volume in your meal while saving a lot of calories! Plus, this kind of pasta is super quick and easy to prepare because you only need to heat it up briefly.
Veggie noodles – zucchini spaghetti (zoodles) and carrot spaghetti
To add more vitamins, nutrients and flavor to my noodle dish, I added different vegetables. Zucchini and carrots can be spiralized into vegetable spaghetti in no time using a spiral slicer. However, you could also make beet, parsnip, kohlrabi or sweet potato noodles if you prefer.
Onions, garlic, ginger and mushrooms for pure umami flavor!
While sautéed onions, garlic, and fresh ginger combined with mushrooms give a great umami flavor, red and orange vegetables, like bell peppers and carrots, add a little sweetness. I chose crispy tofu as a plant-based protein source, but of course you can choose another vegan meat substitute of your choice.
Vegetable noodles with the best peanut sauce
What is essential for this Asian vegetable noodle bowl though is, the creamy and best ever peanut sauce! I modified my classic popular basic recipe a bit by adding 1 additional tsp of red Thai curry paste. This adds even more spice to the sauce, so you won’t notice that the algae noodles are actually tasteless. However, below you’ll find plenty of other recipe suggestions for how else you can serve your vegetable noodles.
Want to add other vegetables?
Here are some ideas on how you can vary your peanut noodles a bit or make it even more vegetable-rich:
- broccoli
- zucchini
- mung bean sprouts
- bean sprouts
- bamboo shoots
- edamame
- spinach
- bok choy
- Shiitake or Mu Err mushrooms
I like to serve my low carb vegetable noodles in pasta bowls or on plates. Then I garnish them with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, fresh herbs like Thai basil, mint or cilantro and lime wedges on the side. It’s the perfect take away food for warm days in spring or summer, and much better than the Chinese noodles from the snack bar!
This Thai peanut veggie noodle bowl is:
- Vegan
- Low Carb
- Gluten-free (if using tamari)
- Can be made nut-free (if using tahini and sesame seeds instead of peanut butter and peanuts)
- Versatile and customizable
- Creamy and flavorful
- Loaded with veggie spaghetti
- Fresh and crunchy
- Super healthy
- Quick and easy to make
- Totally delicious and much more interesting than boring salad!
Which sauce can I serve with vegetable noodles?
Actually, any pasta sauce tastes good with vegetable noodles! How about vegan lentil bolognese, classic tomato sauce al pomodoro or creamy vegan carbonara? But the crunchy vegetable spaghetti also tastes great with guacamole as avocado pasta or with a fresh wild garlic pesto and vegan Parmesan. If you like it cheesier, feel free to serve my vegan mac and cheese sauce with it – There are so many options here! Also feel free to try these recipes:
- Creamy Mushroom Sauce (Vegan Stroganoff)
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce
- Creamy Tomato Pasta (Penne alla Vodka)
- Vegan Tofu Bolognese
- Creamy Pumpkin Alfredo
- Mushroom and Lentil Ragu
- Sweet Potato Pasta Sauce
- Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
If you try this recipe for veggie noodles with peanut sauce, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your peanut noodles and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Happy cooking 🙂
Peanut Veggie Noodle Bowl
Author:Ingredients
- 8.5 oz (240 g) 5-calorie-noodles or any other cooked noodles of your choice
- 2 zucchini
- 2 carrots
- 1 red bell pepper
- 10.6 oz (300 g) mushrooms or other mushrooms
- ½ bunch of spring onions or 1 regular onion
- 3-4 of garlic cloves
- 1 small piece of ginger
- 7 oz (200 g) firm tofu
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 2-3 tbsp sesame or peanut oil
- 2-3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (if gluten-free)
- 1 recipe peanut sauce
For garnish (opional)
- roasted peanuts
- sesame seeds
- fresh herbs e.g. Thai basil, mint or coriander
- limes
Instructions
- Spiralize zucchini and carrots into spaghetti using a spiral slicer. Cut red bell peppers into thin strips. Slice mushrooms and spring onions. Peel and finely chop garlic. Peel the ginger and chop finely as well.
- Drain the tofu well, then wrap in paper towels and squeeze out any excess liquid. Then cut into cubes and marinate with turmeric (optional).
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the spring onions, garlic and ginger briefly. Then remove and set aside.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan and fry the tofu until crispy on all sides. Then remove and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil and sauté the mushrooms for about 3-4 minutes. Add the crispy tofu, deglaze with soy sauce and stir to coat until everything gets a nice brown color.
- Now add the zucchini noodles, carrot noodles and red bell pepper strips and sauté until they are softened but still crunchy.
- Drain the 5-calorie-noodles and stir them into the veggies along with the fried spring onion, garlic and ginger mixture.
- Make the peanut sauce according to this recipe (you can also prepare it ahead and use it for other dishes too). Add the sauce to your noodle stir-fry and toss to coat.
- Serve the peanut veggie noodles in bowls or on plates and garnish with chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, fresh herbs and lime wedges on the side, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The 5-calorie-noodles I used are from a German brand (find more information in the article above) but you can basically use any noodles or homemade vegan pasta. Just be sure to cook or soak them according to package instructions/recipe before using.
- Read my blog post above for lots of delicious recipe suggestions and more information on this recipe!
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What is kukuma? 🥺 want to do this recipe but can’t find it, is it a spice? Or is it tumeric?
Kurkuma is the German word for turmeric 😀 Sorry! I corrected this!