Gluten-free noodles tossed in a dreamy, creamy sesame peanut sauce. Super simple and comes together in 20 minutes! Serve with tofu as I did here or plain as a simple side dish.
Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles
Easy, Savory and Delish!
If you love take-out sesame noodles, this is for you!
A super simple recipe, these noodles come together quickly (just 20 minutes!) and taste just like the restaurants!
And good thing, because when was the last time you saw gluten-free sesame noodles on a menu?
Here we have gluten-free noodles tossed in a creamy and perfectly balanced Sesame Peanut Sauce and topped with tofu (optional but a great add if you’re making it a meal and love tofu like I do!), sesame seeds, peanuts and scallions.
So let’s make it, starting with the sauce…
The Sesame Peanut Sauce hits all the sensory notes—savory, salty, sweet, tangy and spicy, and is so yummy!
It is made with toasted sesame oil, gluten-free tamari, creamy natural peanut butter, fresh lemon juice, brown sugar, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and a touch of chile-garlic sauce for heat.
It couldn’t be easier, coming together in a blender while the noodles cook.
In fact the entire dish comes together in no time!
The 20 minutes literally includes boiling a pot of water!
All you do… While the noodles cook, quickly blend the sauce.
When noodles are down, cool noodles by running cold water over them if you want them “cold” or just place back in the pan as I did here if you want them warm and toss with creamy sauce.
Then top with tofu if using, sesame seeds, scallions and peanuts.
A perfect dish as a simple main, a side dish or a lunch.
As for the tofu, I often use “pre-grilled” tofu that I purchase at a local store but recently they didn’t have any so I just roasted it quickly and give that option below.
Gluten-free noodles tossed in a creamy and perfectly balanced sesame peanut sauce. Super quick & easy and delish! Recipe inspired by and adapted from Vegetarian Times.
Author: Healthy Gluten-Free Family
Recipe type: Dinner, Pasta
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
Sesame Peanut Sauce
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
¼ cup low-sodium gluten-free tamari
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter (we used Whole Foods Peanut Butter - only ingredients dry roasted peanuts and salt)
¼ teaspoon chile-garlic sauce (can add up to 1 teaspoon if you want extra heat but I personally find ¼ teaspoon perfect)
1 12 oz box gluten-free spaghetti
Optional - firm tofu, rinsed, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes (I used a pre-grilled tofu)
Garnish
¼ - ⅓ cup roasted peanuts
Sesame seeds
Scallions (green part of green onions)
Instructions
Noodles
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente, about 7-10 minutes, reserving some pasta water.
Drain into a large colander and immediately rinse with cold water to cool the noodles if serving cold. Make sure noodles are well drained of water and splash with a touch of sesame oil to prevent sticking.
If serving warm, return to pot they cooked in with a touch of sesame oil in the pan.
Sesame Peanut Sauce
Meanwhile, while noodles are cooking, place all the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust as needed. Add more peanut butter if desired or chili sauce for heat. Transfer to a liquid measuring cup.
Tofu (optional)
Preheat oven to 450°F, and line baking sheet non-stick foil. (parchment paper can NOT withstand such high heat)
Gently toss tofu with a touch of sesame oil and place in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast tofu 10 minutes. Flip, and roast 5 minutes more, or until sides are golden brown. ( Tofu cubes will puff up a bit)
Assemble
If want noodles cold, transfer cooked and cooled pasta to large bowl and add ½ cup sauce; toss to combine. Add more sauce till desired creaminess, adding reserved pasta water as needed.
If want noodles warm, return cooked noodles to pan they cooked in and toss with ½ cup sauce, then add more sauce until desired creaminess, adding reserved pasta water as needed.
Serving
Spoon creamy noodles into bowls, add tofu if desired, add additional sauce if desired and top with sesame seeds, scallions and peanuts. Serve at room temperature.
Keeps well in sealed container for several days in the refrigerator. Tastes great cold, straight from the refrigerator too.
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...