Crispy crumbled tofu with chewy soba noodles and creamy miso-tahini sauce is an all-star combination for these miso-flavored Sesame Soba Noodles. These noodle bowls are packed with flavor and nutrition!
Recipe: $15.96 | Per Serving: $3.99 | Yield: 4(large)
If you're not on the miso bandwagon, can I please encourage you to jump on immediately? This is one of my favorite condiments of all time (see these Japanese-style meatballs!). It is full of umami goodness, and since it is a fermented product, it also provides gut-friendly probiotics!
If you love soba noodles? Try my Salmon Soba Bowl next!
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Why You Will Love This Sesame Soba Noodles Recipe
- PACKED with flavor!
- Plenty of plant-based protein!
- Colorful - red, green, orange, and brown plants are all represented here!
- GORGEOUS! This vegetable soba dish is a show-stopper and I love serving this for guests!
- It is so easy to make this baby gluten-free!
Ingredients
This soba sesame noodles recipe uses nutrient-packed mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, and carrots, while it provides protein from the tofu and edamame, with a bit of additional protein coming from the noodles and the tahini.
Here's an overview of the ingredients, but find the full list and amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Tofu: We're using a full 400 grams of firm or extra firm tofu here.
- Soy sauce or tamari: Infuses the tofu with some umami flavors and also the soba noodle sauce.
- Quick-pickled carrots: Shredded carrots are mixed with vinegar and boiling water. You can use white, apple cider, or rice vinegar when making them.
- Tahini: This creamy, high-calcium seed butter brings an amazing texture to this dish!
- Miso: White miso is my favorite here for tahini miso sauce, but feel free to use red instead. For leftover miso paste, make miso soup, miso meatballs, or miso lettuce wraps!
- Aromatics: Fresh garlic and freshly grated ginger add the best flavor to the sauce.
- Rice vinegar: Balances out the savory and sweet flavors of the miso tahini sauce.
- Shiitake mushrooms: My top choice for adding even more umami flavor and great texture. Feel free to use cheaper white or crimini mushrooms if you prefer.
- Veggies: Red bell pepper, baby spinach, and frozen edamame. Bok choy or other greens work too.
- Soba Noodles: Most traditional buckwheat soba noodles are made with a combination of wheat and buckwheat. If you need gluten-free soba noodles make sure the package is marked gluten-free so you are getting 100% buckwheat noodles. Rice noodles are another great gluten-free option for this recipe.
- Basically any noodles will work here (even angel hair pasta!) if you have another you prefer, but buckwheat soba is my favorite!
Dietary Modifications
- Protein: Using tofu keeps this dish vegan and vegetarian friendly but you can easily make it with ground beef, ground pork, or even ground turkey. Brown the meat on the stove with soy sauce until fully cooked, then add it to the bowls.
- Noodles: Rice noodles ("pad thai style" noodles) work equally well here and can be rehydrated quickly. I have also made this with edamame noodles with great success.
- Vegetables: The combination as written is my favorite, but I have also made this entire recipe using a bag of frozen stir-fry mix for a super fast weeknight meal. The texture is obviously a bit different, but the miso-tahini sauce really brings it all together!
How to Make a Soba Noodle Bowl
Because we're making several different components - baked tofu, cooked noodles, sautéed vegetables, miso-tahini sauce - this vegan soba noodle recipe seems like a lot of steps. But I promise you it comes together pretty quickly and it is worth every single second!
Step 1: Prep the vegetables. Wash and chop all the vegetables as indicated in the ingredient list and set them aside. Feel free to buy pre-washed and pre-chopped vegetables to save time.
Step 2: Make the quick-pickled carrots. Place shredded carrots in a bowl or jar with the rice vinegar. Top with boiling water just to cover the carrots. Cover with a lid or plate and let it sit to “quick pickle” as you prepare the rest of the meal. (This is optional but absolutely delicious!)
Step 3: Make the crispy baked tofu. Crumble the tofu into ½ inch pieces. Toss with the oil and soy sauce and spread it out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the tofu, stirring and flipping 1-2 times while it cooks.
Step 4: Make the soba noodle sauce: Combine the tahini, miso, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Mix together, then add the rice vinegar and stir well. Adding the vinegar last makes it easier to mix together.
Step 5: Cook the aromatics and veggies. Add the shiitake mushrooms to a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté, stirring occasionally,. Lower the heat to medium when they begin to brown. Add the garlic, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes or until the bell pepper is cooked to your liking.
Step 6: Warm/thaw the edamame. Add the frozen edamame to a heat-safe bowl and cover with boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Step 7: Add the greens. Add the washed baby spinach or other greens, and cook just until wilted. Stir in the thawed edamame, then remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Step 8: Cook the soba noodles. Follow the instructions on the package for cooking your noodles. After cooking, drain and gently rinse. Toss with a little drizzle of sesame oil or some of the miso-tahini sauce to prevent sticking.
Combine for serving! Toss the soba noodles with a bit of sauce and then divide them among four bowls. Top each bowl of soba with equal amounts of vegetables, tofu, edamame, and the remaining miso tahini sauce. Add some pickled carrots on top and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Expert Tips
- Best Tofu to Use: Use a firm or extra-firm tofu for the best results. The firmer it is, the lower water content it has, and the crispier it will get when baked.
- Time-Saving Tip: Buy some of your vegetables pre-cut to save time! You can also use another pickled vegetable here (store-bought or homemade) like picked red onions or pickled cabbage.
- Greens Cooking Time: Baby spinach will take about 1-2 minutes, while other heartier greens can take 3-5 minutes.
- Thawing Edamame: Feel free to thaw the edamame directly in the skillet to save time.
- Cooking Soba: Cook the noodles last as they may stick together if they sit too long waiting for everything else!
- Serving: This recipe is an all-in-one meal. I recommend piling on all the toppings and diving in. You can also pair this with my sesame cucumber salad for more vegetables, or pan-seared salmon or miso meatballs for more protein!
Storing
To store this dish, store the noodles, sauce, and pickled carrots in separate containers in the refrigerator. You can combine the cooked vegetables and tofu in the same storage container. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 5-7 days.
To reheat: Reheat everything together in the microwave if you'd like, which is the easiest option if you're taking this for lunch.
For best results for reheating soba, I recommend pouring hot water (I use boiled water from the kettle) over the soba noodles and stirring for just 5-10 seconds then draining. This separates the soba noodles, while also warming them, so you can more easily combine them with sauce and the remaining ingredients. This method is also helpful for rice noodles.
Recipe FAQs
No! Traditional soba noodles are not gluten-free because they are a blend of wheat and buckwheat. You can find gluten-free soba noodles that are made from 100% buckwheat flour or with a combination of buckwheat and another gluten-free flour.
You can freeze traditional soba noodles (with wheat + buckwheat), but I would not freeze gluten-free soba noodles as they are much more delicate and may end up mushy once defrosted.
More Noodle Recipes
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Miso Sesame Soba Noodles
Ingredients
For the crispy baked tofu:
- 400 grams firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or other cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
For the quick-pickled carrots
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- ¼ cup vinegar white, apple cider, or rice vinegar
- Boiling water enough to cover
For the miso-tahini sauce:
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3 Tablespoons white miso can also use red
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 clove of garlic crushed or grated
- 2 teaspoons of grated ginger from fresh
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or other sweetener
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil optional
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
For the vegetables:
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil of choice
- 150 grams shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced (or any mushrooms)
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed, grated, or minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 red bell pepper seeds & stem removed, thinly sliced
- 2 cups baby spinach or chopped bok choy
- 1 cup shelled edamame I use frozen
For the noodles:
- 4 servings soba noodles traditional or gluten-free, rice noodles can also be used here
- To garnish: black and white sesame seeds sliced green onions
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables: Wash and chop all vegetables and set aside.
- For the quick-pickled carrots: Shred the carrot on a box grater or in a food processor. (Alternatively, you can use a julienne peeler here). Add to a deep bowl or jar with ¼ cup rice vinegar. Top with boiling water just until the carrots are covered. Cover with lid or plate and set aside to “quick pickle” as you prepare the rest of the meal.
- For the crispy baked tofu: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Crumble the tofu into rough pieces, about ½ inch in size. Toss with the oil and soy sauce and then spread out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.Bake tofu for about 15-20 minutes, stirring and flipping 1-2 times throughout the cooking process.
- For the miso-tahini sauce: Combine all ingredients, except the rice vinegar, in a bowl and stir to combine, then add the rice vinegar and stir well. (I find this mixes together best if you add the vinegar last.)
- For the vegetables: Add the edamame to a heat-safe bowl and cover with boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Warm a skillet over medium-high heat and add the sliced shiitake mushrooms. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes, or until you see browning develop. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the garlic, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes or until the bell pepper is cooked to your liking. (I like it cooked but not mushy!)
- Add the washed baby spinach or other greens, and cook just until wilted. Baby spinach will take about 1-2 minutes, while other greens can take 3-5 minutes. Stir in the edamame, then remove from heat and set aside.
- For the noodles: Cook noodles according to package instructions, then gently rinse and toss with either a little drizzle of sesame oil or some of the miso-tahini sauce. I recommend cooking the noodles last as they may stick together if they sit too long waiting for everything else!To combine: toss the soba noodles with some of the miso-tahini sauce, then divide among four bowls. To each bowl add ¼th of the vegetable mixture, ¼th of the tofu, and drizzle with ¼th of the miso-tahini sauce. Top each bowl with a bit of the pickled carrots and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Notes
- Use a firm or extra-firm tofu for the best results. The firmer it is, the lower water content it has, and the crispier it will get when baked.
- Buy some of your vegetables pre-cut to save time! You can also use another pickled vegetable here (store-bought or homemade) like picked red onions or pickled cabbage.
- Baby spinach will take about 1-2 minutes, while other heartier greens can take 3-5 minutes.
- Feel free to thaw the edamame directly in the skillet to save time.
- Cook the noodles last as they may stick together if they sit too long waiting for everything else!
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