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Rice noodles with tahini sauce and vegetables in a shallow bowl with two gold forks resting to the top right of the dish

Tahini Noodle Bowls with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables

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  • Author: Whip & Wander
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Rest Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Mains
  • Method: Oven / Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Thai - American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These Tahini Noodle Bowls with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables include thick rice noodles tossed in a creamy, salty, and spicy tahini sauce along with tender pan-browned Brussels sprouts, red bell pepper, and kale. Crispy baked tofu and a sprinkle of toasted almonds and sesame seeds top these tasty Thai-inspired vegan bowls.


Ingredients

Scale

For this crispy tofu:

  • 14 oz block extra-firm tofu, drained and diced into cubes (around 1/2-3/4 inch each)
  • 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil - OR - 1 tbsp olive oil + 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp tamari - OR - soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch

For the tahini sauce:

  • 6 tbsp (84 g) tahini
  • 6 tbsp (108 g) tamari - OR - soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil - OR - 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp sriracha hot sauce (may reduce to 1 tbsp for milder palates)
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated - OR - 1/2 tsp ground ginger

For the toasted almonds and sesame seeds:

  • 4 tbsp (30 g) slivered almonds
  • 1 tbsp (8 g) white sesame seeds

For the noodles:

  • 16 oz flat rice noodles (sometimes labeled 'thick-cut vermicelli,' 'Pad Thai rice noodles,' or 'stir-fry rice noodles')

For the vegetables:

  • 1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 140 g (about 4 cups firmly packed) Lacinato kale, destemmed and chopped
  • 1 large (about 220 g) red bell pepper, destemmed, seeded, and sliced into thin strips

Instructions

For the crispy tofu:

  1. Line a cutting board with a clean lint-free kitchen towel. Transfer the diced tofu cubes onto the kitchen towel in a single even layer. Top them with a second clean lint-free kitchen towel and place a second cutting board on top if you have one. You'll want to add weight to the top to press the boards toward each other. I like to use a cast-iron pan with a Dutch oven or heavy cans safely nestled inside.
  2. Allow the tofu to press for 30-minutes. While the tofu is pressing, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F / 205 C. Prep a baker's half sheet with parchment paper and reserve to the side.
  3. Once pressed, remove the weight from the top of the tofu (The kitchen towels should both be damp with the residual liquid that was pressed and can be removed). Transfer the pressed tofu cubes to a large mixing bowl and add the garlic-infused olive oil, tamari, and pepper. Toss gently by hand to coat then add the cornstarch and toss gently again until evenly coated.
  4. Transfer the tofu to the reserve parchment-lined baking sheet then transfer to the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Start prepping the tahini sauce, noodles, and vegetables while the tofu bakes. Once the tofu has finished baking, remove from heat and reserve to the side.

For the tahini sauce:

  1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the tahini, tamari, garlic-infused olive oil, sriracha hot sauce, lime juice, and ginger. Whisk together with a fork or a small whisk and reserve to the side.

For the toasted almonds and sesame seeds:

  1. In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, add the almond slivers and sesame seeds to a dry pan. Allow to toast, stirring regularly, until they become lightly golden and slightly nutty. Watch closely as these can burn quickly. Once toasted, transfer to a small bowl and reserve to the side.

For the noodles:

  1. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Generally, I like to use the boil on the stove method because it better ensures that the noodles cook evenly without sticking together. However, some rice noodles will give you the option of simply covering the noodles in hot water to sit for several minutes. I don't prefer this method because I feel like the noodles never cook as evenly as boiling them on the stove. You do not want to overcook the noodles though or they become very starchy and gummy quickly. Once cooked, drain and rinse under cool (not super cold) water to halt cooking. Reserve drained and cooled noodles to the side.

For the vegetables:

  1. Return the same skillet or wok that you used to toast the nuts and seeds to the stove and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the sesame oil to the pan to heat and once shimmering, add the Brussels sprouts. Allow to saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once they are just starting to lightly brown, add the red bell pepper strips and kale to the pan. Continue to saute, stirring occasionally until vegetables are just tender with a bit of a bite to them and the kale has wilted and is soft.

Combine the vegetables, noodles, and sauce:

  1. Reduce heat to medium and add the reserved noodles and tahini sauce to the pan. Toss together until well combined and warmed through, then add the crispy tofu and toss again. Transfer to wide bowls and sprinkle with the reserved toasted almonds and sesame seeds.

Notes

Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6th of the recipe
  • Calories: 592
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 1281 mg
  • Fat: 24 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 78 g
  • Fiber: 8 g
  • Protein: 21 g