11/11

Spicy Peanut Noodles

Food, Hot, Meal Ideas, Pasta, Savory
By Emma Chapman

Spicy peanut noodles I'm going to file this under meals-that-take-30-minutes-or-less-to-make. I'm a big, big fan of this file. Actually, we don't have a tag for this on the blog?! I should add one.

I often find myself at home, getting ready to make something that I've shared on the blog before, and all of sudden I can't remember all the ingredients or the quantities. I have the WORST memory! I blame technology (and myself; that's only fair). But think about it, anything I need to know is basically just a few taps away on my smart phone. So, why remember anything when I could just look it up anytime?

So, I remember nothing. For example, I only know two phone numbers by heart. My parent's landline and Elsie's cell. I don't even know my husband's cell number by heart. And I think it's because I've known those first two numbers since before I ever had a cell phone, so I had to remember them.

Spicy peanut noodlesEnough about technology. Let's talk about pasta. I think pasta might be my favorite food group. This dish may seem sort of strange at first. I mean, peanut butter in a pasta sauce? What? But it sort of reminds me a thinner version of peanut dipping sauce, which is a heavenly thing.

It's best to use a natural or less-sugar peanut butter for this, but use whatever you have on hand. Also, you could easily add more vegetables to this dish to add more nutrition. Sometimes when I make this at home I use about 2 ounces less pasta and add another bell pepper. Feel free to customize to your heart's desire; that's what cooking is all about. 🙂

Spicy peanut noodles recipeSpicy Peanut Noodles, serves two.

8 ounces linguine or spaghetti noodles
1 bell pepper
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (depending how much spice you like)
2-3 tablespoons pasta water
1 tablespoon chopped green onion

Cook the pasta according the package directions. Once it's time to drain the pasta, be sure to reserve 2-3 tablespoons for the sauce. You can use water if you forget, but the pasta water is just a little bit more starchy so it works well in sauce.

Spicy peanut sauceIn a bowl, stir together the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire, and chili garlic sauce. Set aside.

Cooking bell peppersRemove the center of the bell pepper with the seeds, and slice thin. Sauté in a little sesame or olive oil over high heat for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften.

Once the pasta is ready, toss the pasta with the peppers. Pour the sauce, with the pasta water added, over the top of everything, and toss to combine.

Spicy peanut noodles Serve warm topped with a few green onions. Eat, preferably while watching your favorite TV show (The Mindy Project). Enjoy! xo. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.

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