This Veggie Stir Fry recipe is made with brown rice noodles. Of course, long grain, basmati or jasmine brown rice would be fantastic with this; the noodles are just so much fun to eat. This stir fry recipe ticks the boxes for delicious, healthy, easy, soy free, nut free, gluten free and oil free.
We used black rice noodles in a previous post for Asian Noodle Salad, but we know that brown rice noodles are more easily and readily available in most grocery stores. So, we're swapping the black for brown rice noodles.
Also, that noodle salad recipe had a fantastic peanut sauce! We recognize some people have peanut allergies, so we wanted to pay homage to a more allergen-friendly healthy plant fat, the sunflower seed—high in Vitamin E, an antioxidant. The Sunflower Sauce recipe is not only fantastic on this Veggie Stir Fry with Noodles but also lovely on a salad or buddha bowl.
Veggie Stir Fry with Noodles has 11 key ingredients
- Brown rice noodles
- Baby bok choy
- Purple cabbage
- Broccoli
- Red bell pepper
- Red onion
- Carrot
- Mushrooms
- Green onion
- Fresh or frozen green peas (or substitute edamame if no soy-allergy)
- Sweet and Tangy Sunflower Butter Sauce
Adding Legumes to Your Veggie Stir Fry
In addition to the main veggies, adding a legume will boost the protein and fiber in this dish. I used frozen green peas to make this allergen-friendly dish, but shelled edamame works beautifully if you don't have a sensitivity to soy.
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How to Prepare
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook according to package directions. Immediately remove from heat, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. This helps to avoid mushy noodles. If you're okay with your noodles being al dente (more chewy), I recommend cooking them for a little less than what the package recommends. For me, I used a Pad Thai brown rice noodle that's supposed to cook for 5 minutes. I took it off after 4 minutes, drained, and rinsed in cold water. It's a personal preference. *[Note: your noodles may feel a little stiff after rinsing. Not to worry, they'll loosen up nicely after you add the veggies and sauce.]
- Preheat either a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, and cabbage. Combine and let it hang out and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 more minutes to caramelize. The veggies will stick, but that's okay.
- Take a stiff spatula to stir the veggies, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the baby bok choy. Put a lid on the pan or over the wok and let the baby bok choy steam for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen green peas, and chopped green onion. Cover again and let cook-steam for 3 to 4 minutes. Give the veggies a good stir and remove from heat.
- Dish up by putting the noodles on the bottom of the bowl, then stir fry veggies and pour the stir fry sauce on top. Enjoy immediately!
Pro Tip for Clean-Up
Cooking without oil can leave pans with a lot of crust stuck to the bottom. For easy clean-up, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking soda on the inside bottom of the pan. Using a scrubbing pad, vigorously scrub the inside of the pan until crust is removed. The combination of the gritty baking soda with a scrubber works excellent! Rinse the pan under warm water and then clean as you usually would.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the great things about stir fry is adding what you want. You can add other veggies: eggplant, cauliflower, green bell pepper, snap peas, snow peas, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, or any veggie you like. If soy isn't an issue, tofu, and tempeh work well in stir fry recipes. Finally, you can vary the sauces. This recipe calls for Sweet and Tangy Sunflower Butter Sauce, but Peanut Sauce, Creamy Tahini Ginger Dressing, or a simple ginger wasabi soy sauce works well too.
It all comes down to the ingredients used to make the veggie stir fry. Suppose it's loaded with oil and salt and is light on veggies and heavy on white refined rice or noodles; it's less healthy than this recipe made without oil, heavy on veggies, lighter in sodium, and uses brown rice noodles. As a general guideline, any meal that is heavy on vegetables will likely have a higher nutrient density than one that is not. This is due to the fiber content, antioxidants and beneficial compounds found in various vegetables and other whole plant foods.
Stir fry vegetables can be good for weight loss when prepared without oil. Oil is high in calories. One tablespoon of oil adds 120 calories to your meal. Many recipes will call for 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil. However, this recipe is oil-free. Again, this veggie stir fry recipe is veggie-dominant. Meaning the ratio of vegetables to noodles is high. Since veggies have a lower calorie density and are high in fiber and water, this too helps with weight loss.
We hope you love this veggie stir fry as much as we do. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielfastrecipes so we can see your creation!
Veggie Stir Fry with Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 oz. package of brown rice noodles
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 cup purple or green cabbage, chopped
- ½ cup mushrooms sliced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 4 cups baby bok choy chopped
- 2 cups broccoli chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 cup frozen green peas okay to substitute edamame if no soy allergy
- 1 batch of Sweet and Tangy Sunflower Butter Sauce
Optional
- 1 tsp sunflower seeds for topping
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook according to package directions. Immediately remove from heat, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. This helps to avoid mushy noodles. If you're okay with your noodles being al dente (more chewy), I recommend cooking them for a little less than what the package recommends. For me, I used a Pad Thai brown rice noodle that's supposed to cook for 5 minutes. I took it off after 4 minutes, drained, and rinsed in cold water. It's a personal preference. See Note 1 below.
- Preheat either a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms, and cabbage. Combine and let it hang out and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 more minutes to caramelize. The veggies will stick, but that's okay.
- Take a stiff spatula to stir the veggies, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the baby bok choy. Put a lid on the pan or over the wok and let the baby bok choy steam for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen green peas, and chopped green onion. Cover again and let cook-steam for 3 to 4 minutes. Give the veggies a good stir and remove from heat.
- Dish up by putting the noodles on the bottom of the bowl, then stir fry veggies and pour the stir fry sauce on top. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Texture of Noodles: Your noodles may feel a little stiff after rinsing. Don't worry; they'll loosen up nicely after you add the veggies and sauce.
- Leftovers/Meal Prep: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Marie
This recipe was really amazing indeed, we will definitely do this one again.
Gigi & Sersie
Thanks Marie. We're so glad you enjoyed it. This is a great option for using up those extra veggies in the refrigerator.
Michelle
This is my new favorite recipe!! I used your peanut sauce recipe with it instead of the sunflower butter sauce though. I’m sooo glad I found this website. I have tried several of your recipes and they do not disappoint!! Thank you ladies!
Gigi & Sersie
Thanks Michelle! We're so glad you love it. It's so healthy too!
Paulette Barrett
This veggie stir fry with noodles tasted amazing. I would recommend trying it.
So yummy!
Gigi & Sersie
Yay! Thanks Paulette! We're so glad you enjoyed it and recommend it. 🙂