It’s the start of a New Year and decade and with it comes all the resolutions. These soba noodle bowls are something I make for myself and for work for my vegetarian clients. I’m not going to restrict myself with any trendy diets but I would like to eat less meat and mostly home cooked meals. When eating this, I didn’t even realize these bowls were vegan. Consequently, I came to the realization way after the fact! It’s just a really hearty, delicious and fresh meal.
How to put these soba noodle bowls together.
With just a few cooked ingredients, this recipe is really just half cooking, half prep work. In one pot, the snap peas and soba noodles are boiled. Then, tofu is pan-fried and tossed with a little of the dressing. I love that the dressing is utilized for cooking the tofu and for dressing the bowls. Other than that, the kale, carrots and garnishes are just about slicing up raw veggies and herbs.
Great for meal prep and lunchboxes!
What’s something I love the most about this recipe? These soba noodle bowls are fantastic made ahead. They keep well, too, in the refrigerator for several days. Noodle bowls can be portioned in separate containers with the dressing on the side. Just toss and eat! So if you love meal prepping, these would be great added in to your rotation or taken with you for lunch on the go. I like my tofu a little warmed up, so I like keeping it on the side. Just microwave it for 30 seconds before eating. Easy peasy.
Customize these soba noodle bowls with what you have on hand or if you’re not a vegetarian.
The vegetables are so easily swapped out. Just look in the fridge and see what needs using up! Some other vegetables I like in these soba noodle bowls:
- cucumbers
- arugula or spinach
- cherry tomatoes
- broccoli or broccolini
- cauliflower
- sprouts
- any kind of pickled vegetables
- radishes
- sautéed zucchini or yellow squash
- shredded cabbage
If you want to add meat or fish, a piece of salmon or hake glazed with teriyaki sauce is nice. A grilled chicken breast would also work. So would sliced flank steak! The garnishes are very flexible too. You could do a nut and seed mixture, such as poppy and pumpkin seeds. Chopped cashews or peanuts? Hemp, chia or flax seeds? All of these sound great to me. Whatever you want to add would work well here.
A note on soba noodles.
There are generally two types of soba noodles you can get (here in the US). Either 100% buckwheat or buckwheat and wheat flour noodles. I’m using the buckwheat and wheat flour soba, mainly because they’re the most readily available. With 100% buckwheat noodles, it’s very important to cook and wash the noodles properly. Here’s a pretty good tutorial I found on how to do this. With wheat and buckwheat soba, it’s not AS important but I do recommend rinsing and giving them a soft wash under running water. Also, soba noodles are very easily found these days in the ethnic foods aisle of most grocery stores.
Note: To make this completely gluten free, omit the soba noodles entirely and serve over brown or white rice, shirataki noodles, rice noodles or spiralized vegetables. Substitute tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce. 100% buckwheat soba noodles may be tolerated in some with gluten sensitivities but please consult your healthcare provider.
This post contains affiliate links for Amazon Associates. At no cost to you, I may earn a very small commission if you choose to purchase through them. Please know I only recommend products I use myself and love! Thank you for supporting the work I do.
Soba Noodle Bowls with Tofu and Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 pound (439 g) tofu, extra firm
- 8 ounces (180 g) snap peas or snow peas
- 9.5 ounces (269 g) soba noodles
- 2 cups carrots, julienned or grated (3-4 medium carrots)
- 1 bunch kale (lacinato or curly), washed and dried
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- salt, for seasoning
- scallion greens, sliced, for garnishing (optional)
- cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnishing (optional)
- sesame seeds, white or black, for garnishing (optional)
For the Soy-Lemon Dressing (makes 1½ cups)
- ⅔ cup (150 ml) soy sauce
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) water
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey or maple syrup (vegan option)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
Method
- Press tofu: wrap tofu in a kitchen towel. Place on a plate and lay something heavy on it (like a skillet). Leave to press for 10 minutes while you prep.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the snap peas (or snow peas). Cook for 30-40 seconds or until just bright green and crisp-tender. Remove from pot with a strainer or slotted spoon. Rinse under cool water to stop cooking. Set aside.
- To cook soba noodles: add to boiling water and stir well to separate. Cook according to package instructions. Drain. Rinse noodles under cold, running water, grabbing handfuls of noodles and moving about (this step is to wash any excess starch and to prevent gumminess and sticking). Drain well in colander. Set aside.
- Strip stems from kale and discard. Tear or roughly chop leaves into bite size pieces. Add to a large bowl. Season with a little salt. Massage kale until more tender and darker green, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- To make dressing: combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together well.
- To cook tofu: cut tofu into small or medium cubes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil to pan. Carefully add the tofu, in a single layer (you may have to cook your tofu in two batches). Cook for about 5 minutes or until tofu starts to brown. Flip and cook until all sides of tofu are brown and crispy, reducing heat, if needed, to prevent burning. Add 3 tablespoons of the dressing to the pan and stir/shake tofu until fully absorbed. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove from heat.
- Assemble the noodle bowls. Distribute the soba noodles between 5 or 6 bowls. Top each bowl with some of the snap peas, kale, carrots and tofu. Spoon a little dressing over each bowl. Garnish with some scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pin it for later
Leave a Reply