Cheesy Vegetarian

15 Minute Peanut and Sesame Noodles

These simple peanut and sesame noodles are the perfect Asian-style side dish or main meal, with an irresistibly silky peanut sauce.

A portion of peanut noodles in a bowl topped with sesame seeds and chopped nuts.

It’s time for another 15 minute recipe! Because I just don’t have the brain power these days to spend any longer in the kitchen. These peanut and sesame noodles are coated in a luscious peanut and sesame sauce that you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.

A bowl of peanut and sesame noodles being twirled with a fork.

Asian-style noodles

These peanut noodles aren’t inspired by any one country in particular – I suppose they’re just a mixture of all of my favourite flavours from Asian cuisine.

The end result is a simple noodle dish that could be served alongside any other Asian-inspired dish, or even just on their own.

Probably not authentically anything… but delicious all the same, and oh-so-easy to make.

How to make simple peanut noodles

Step 1: Boil some noodles and veg

First, get your noodles on to boil. I chose some simple dried egg noodles, which cook in about 5 minutes.

I always like to add some extra veggies when I’m boiling noodles or pasta, as it’s so easy to do, and extra veg are always beneficial. This time I added some chopped green beans, as that’s what I had in the fridge. To be honest, any green veg would work well here – see below for some more ideas.

A silky peanut sauce in a food processor bowl.

Step 2: Blitz up the sauce

Next, the sauce… ohhhh, the sauce.

This incredible, silky peanut sauce can be whizzed up in a food processor in about 2 minutes, so do it while the noodles are cooking. I used my mini food processor (almost identical to this one on Amazon UK* – here’s a similar one on Amazon US*). It’s perfect for making small batches of sauces (as well as dressings, dips, etc.), and it’s easier to use and clean than my larger food processor.

The sauce is made from all sorts of tasty things, which all happen to live in my kitchen cupboards permanently. As long as you have a fairly well-stocked pantry, you’ll probably already have everything you need to make this peanut sauce:

peanut butter
sesame seeds
soy sauce
sriracha (or similar hot sauce)
honey
garlic

When these simple ingredients are blitzed up together, they make the most irresistibly exquisite sauce. It’s salty, it’s sweet, it’s spicy – it’s got a bit of everything.

Peanut sauce in a food processor bowl being scooped with a spoon.

Step 3: Combine!

When the noodles are cooked, drain them, and add the peanut and sesame sauce. I find a pair of kitchen tongs is best for tossing the noodles through the sauce.

Peanut noodles in a pan with green beans.

Step 4: Garnish with plenty of toppings

Garnish may sound like an optional extra, but it’s a pretty important part of this recipe.

Without the garnish, you have an admittedly delicious, but pretty simple bowl of peanut noodles.

With the garnish, you have a completely irresistible bowl of noodles, with all sorts of different textures and flavours.

A bowlful of creamy peanut butter noodles topped with green veg and nuts.

How to garnish peanut noodles

I always think it’s a good idea to highlight individual ingredients from a recipe in the garnish. So I topped my bowl of noodles with extra chopped peanuts and sesame seeds, to give a beautiful crunch.

Fresh veggies are also always welcome – some chopped spring onions not only an extra pop of vibrant green to the plate, but also a fresh flavour that lifts the dish and stops it from being too stodgy. Some fresh coriander (cilantro) would have the same freshening effect.

Aerial shot of peanut noodles with lots of toppings.

How can I adapt this recipe?

If you’d like to make this recipe your own, feel free to mix things up a bit:

Swap the green beans for a different green vegetable, such as edamame (I love the frozen ones), broccoli, pak choi, peas, or anything else remotely similar.
Add lots of extra stir fried vegetables for a more substantial dish (more like a peanut-flavoured chow mein).
If you’re missing one ingredient from the sauce, experiment with a substitution, e.g. cashew butter instead of peanut butter, or a small piece of onion instead of the garlic.
For a vegan version, swap the egg noodles for rice noodles, or even just rice.

How to serve peanut noodles

I served my peanut and sesame noodles on their own for lunch.

Each bowlful contains a very impressive 20g of protein (read more about vegetarians and protein here!), as well as fresh veg and carbs – so there’s no real pressure to add anything else on the side.

However, if you do fancy serving something alongside your peanut noodles, to add a bit of interest, there are all sorts of things that would work well:

extra stir fried vegetables
spring rolls
vegetarian egg fu yung
vegetarian Asian-style dumplings
tofu (perhaps teriyaki tofu or lemon and black pepper tofu)

However you serve your peanut and sesame noodles, just heap them up high, add plenty of toppings, and enjoy!

Peanut and Sesame Noodles

These simple peanut and sesame noodles are the perfect Asian-style side dish or main meal, with an irresistibly silky peanut sauce.

Course Main meals, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings people

Calories 556kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

175 g (~ 6 oz) green beans, sliced
225 g (~ 8 oz) dried egg noodles (or vegan noodles, if needed)
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp soy sauce (I used dark)
1/2 tbsp sriracha (or similar hot sauce)
1/2 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
3 tbsp water
To garnish (choose at least 2): Sliced spring onions, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, fresh coriander (cilantro), etc.

Instructions

First, cook the green beans and dried noodles in a pan of boiling water. The noodles I used cook in about 4-5 minutes, so I boiled the green beans for a couple of minutes before adding the noodles. The beans should end up soft enough to eat, but still with a bit of bite.
While the noodles are cooking, add the next 7 ingredients (peanut butter through water) to a food processor (I used a mini one), and blitz for around 60 seconds, until smooth. It should all come together into a smooth, runny sauce – add more water if needed.
When the noodles are ready, drain the water, and add the sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes over a medium heat to warm the sauce.
Serve the peanut noodles topped with your choice of garnish.

Nutrition

These peanut noodles would be perfect served alongside some vegetarian egg fu yung:

The post 15 Minute Peanut and Sesame Noodles appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Air Fryer Gnocchi (with Pesto and Mozzarella)

Ahh, gnocchi! Adorable little potato dumplings that taste like little pillowy clouds – soft and fluffy, like little hugs for your mouth. I adore gnocchi cooked with all sorts of flavours, and this easy air fryer recipe involves:

crispy gnocchi cooked in a creamy pesto sauce
roasted vegetables that are sweet and tender
gooey little pockets of mozzarella cheese
a layer of rich tomato sauce to bring it all together

Doesn’t it just sound irresistible?! It couldn’t be easier to make, and the classic Italian flavours are just incredible.

Air fryer gnocchi and vegetables with mozzarella and pesto.

If you’re a regular reader here on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian, you might know that I’m not a fan of boiling gnocchi, and I usually cook it in a frying pan (see my instructions for frying gnocchi!). However, lately I’ve been experimenting with different methods – like baked gnocchi, and oven-roasted gnocchi. This time, I thought I’d use the air fryer!

Why Cook Gnocchi in an Air Fryer?

I use my air fryer several times a week, and I love it. An air fryer is essentially just a mini oven, so whatever you can cook in an oven, you can cook in an air fryer instead (and vice versa) – but it’s a lot quicker when there’s a smaller space to heat up.

Cooking this pesto gnocchi in an air fryer means you can turn it on, leave it to do its thing for a while, and return to perfectly cooked gnocchi. It’s a lot less labour intensive than cooking the gnocchi in a frying pan, and it’s quicker than using the oven. Best of both worlds!

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

gnocchi – any shop-bought gnocchi will work. I haven’t tested this recipe using homemade gnocchi, but I imagine that would work well too (though you’ll probably need to boil the gnocchi first).
vegetables – I used mushrooms, red onion and a yellow pepper. Any similar Italian-style veggies will work well.
pesto – I used a creamy basil pesto, but use whatever you like the sound of.
fresh mozzarella cheese
tomato sauce – choose your favourite tomato-based pasta sauce, or use your own homemade tomato sauce! It’s worth choosing a good quality sauce for this recipe.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you don’t have an air fryer, you could cook this recipe in a regular oven instead, or in a frying pan on the stovetop.

Recipe Video

Equipment

My air fryer is the Ninja Foodi MAX air fryer, which I really love, and I use it several times a week. I love how it has two separate baskets, so you can cook small or large meals easily. One of the baskets was enough to cook this air fryer gnocchi.

Here’s the one I have on Amazon:

Ninja Dual Air Fryer

I love the two separate zones in this air fryer!

If you’re in the UK or Canada, click the link to see a local product.

A bowl of air fryer gnocchi on tomato sauce.

Printable Instructions

Air fryer gnocchi and vegetables on tomato sauce.

Air Fryer Gnocchi with Pesto and Mozzarella

Air fryer gnocchi, with creamy pesto sauce, gooey pockets of mozzarella, and roasted veggies. This vegetarian meal is so easy!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 22

Total Time 32

Servings people

Calories 663kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp pesto (I used a creamy basil pesto)
2 Tbsp water
120 g mushrooms (~ 6 medium mushrooms)
1 bell pepper (I used yellow)
1 red onion
500 g (~1 lb) gnocchi
250 g (~ 9 oz) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
340 g (~ 1 cup) good quality tomato pasta sauce

Instructions

Add the pesto and a splash of water to a mixing bowl, and mix well to thin out the pesto a little. This will help it to coat the gnocchi nicely.
Chop the mushrooms, pepper and red onion into bitesized pieces, and add them to the bowl, along with the gnocchi. Mix well to coat everything in the sauce.
Transfer the mixture to your air fryer, and cook at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Stir the gnocchi, and cook for a further 10 minutes.
When the gnocchi and vegetables are nicely crisped up, add the torn up mozzarella cheese to the air fryer, and cook for 2 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Heat up the tomato sauce – I warmed it in a bowl in the microwave, but you could use a pan on the stovetop instead, if you prefer. Serve the crispy air fried gnocchi on top of the hot tomato sauce.

Video

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare this recipe in advance?

You could easily mix up the gnocchi / vegetables / pesto in advance, then store the mixture in the fridge until you’re ready to air fry, just before serving.

How should I reheat any leftovers?

I generally reheat any leftovers in the microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, you could also reheat in the air fryer or in a frying pan, but bear in mind that the sauce will dry up a bit if using these methods, so you may need to mix in a little water to freshen it up.

How should I serve air fried gnocchi?

This recipe can be served on its own, without any additional side dishes. However, if you’d like to serve something on the side, a simple salad would be a great addition.