Sesame Soba Noodles

When people hear that I develop recipes for a living, I think most of them assume that eating at our house is like a delicious and varied restaurantโ€”with a new recipe being tested at every single meal.

Not so much.

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As much as I’d like to say I’m that adventurous in the kitchen, I have to be honest, my day-to-day menus are actually kinda boring.

Sesame Soba Noodles

Just like everyone else, we have a handful of our tried-and-true dishes that we rely on week after week. A few days a month, I devote to developing, tweaking and testing new recipes for you guys and my clients, but the rest of the time, I’m sticking with my favorites. And mostly, my favorites are quick, easy, simple and healthy recipes. There are a few dishes that you’ll almost always find the ingredients to whip up in my pantry, and this recipe for cold sesame soba noodles is one of them.

Sesame Soba Noodles

These noodles are so incredibly simple to make (they take about 15 minutes to put together start to finish), and they are absolutely delicious served cold, making them a fabulous candidate for food prepping.

I tend to make a double batch over the weekend, and then we eat on the noodles all week long. They hold up really well in lunches, and don’t need to be chilled or warmed, so they make for a pretty flexible (and tasty) midday meal. If you happen to run into me while I’m out running errands, more times than not, I’ll have a stainless steel lunch container of these noodles stashed in my purse. I don’t leave the house without food.

Sesame Soba Noodles

Soba noodles are a type of Japanese noodle, and if youโ€™ve never worked with them before, I highly suggest you give them a shot. Theyโ€™re made with buckwheat flour and 100% whole grain (you can also find some that have white flour in them, though, so be sure to check out the ingredients if youโ€™re gluten-free). Unlike some whole grain pastas that can be gritty, soba noodles have a really great taste and smooth texture, perfect for noodle soups and noodle salads.

You can find soba noodles in the international foods section of most grocery storesโ€”even our rinky-dink small town market sells them. But if you can’t seem to get your hands on them for some reason, you can sub in spaghetti and get similar results.

Sesame Soba Noodles

The flavor of these noodles is addictingly mild. Which sounds strange, I know. But they are one of those foods that with the first bite you think, “Yeah, that’s pretty good.” And then you take another bite. And another. And another. And before you know it, the entire bowl is gone, and all you can think about is how that was the most delicious bowl of food you’ve ever had. These noodles sneak up on you. I’ve actually caught my husband in the act of sneaking forkfuls of these noodles from the fridge in the middle of the night like a kid sneaking a cookie out of the cookie jar. They’re that addicting.

Sesame Soba Noodles

Whole grains, healthy fats, vegetarian protein, tons of vitamins and mineralsโ€”these noodles are a nutritional powerhouse. I’m definitely not immune to the appeal of a freshly-minted new year, and with the clean slate of a new calendar year,  I want to bring in the fresh, simple dishes that I know will make me feel my best. And these noodles fit that bill!

Enjoy!

Sesame Soba Noodles

Sesame Soba Noodles

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

This quick and easy recipe for cold sesame soba noodles is a great option for a healthy grab-and-go lunch.

Ingredients

  • 1 package soba noodles (usually 9.5 ounces)
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

  1. Cook soba noodles according to directions, omitting fat and salt. Drain and rinse under cold water.
  2. Add the noodles to a large mixing bowl, plus the green onions, sesame seeds, and cilantro. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, tahini and salt. Pour dressing over noodle mixture, and toss to coat. The noodles may seem liquidy at first, but they will absorb the dressing as they rest. Serve immediately, or let chill for a half hour before serving for best flavor.

Notes

If making this gluten-free, be sure to check that the soba noodles you use don't contain added wheat flour.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 254Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 553mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 4g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

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22 Comments

  1. Made this tonight… SO YUMMY, and my vegetarian sister said, “what’s the blog again that you get all these recipes from?” ๐Ÿ™‚ Quick question… do you have a specific gadget that you use to mince your herbs, like herb scissors? Or something else you might recommend?

  2. I don’t use tahini much, so I usually just substitute thinned out peanut butter. It tastes a little different, but still delicious.

  3. Random question, where can you find tahini in the grocery store? I always seem to leave without it because I don’t know where to look!

  4. These look delicious and i am looking forward to trying them. Cilantro is a big part of the flavor, but I am wondering if you can suggest something to use in place of cilantro that would also deliver on flavor. I just can’t seem to manage cilantro. Thanks for any suggestions.

  5. I always leave the house with food as well, but I’d far rather have these delicious soba noodles in my bag than a Ziploc of broken pretzels or a bruised banana! I’ll have to get some tahini and try this recipe.