This noodle bowl is one of my favorite “bowl food” recipes. “Bowl food” always has a mix of delicious veggie-heavy ingredients with varying tastes, textures, and flavors, with a hearty base underneath. It’s fun to eat because you get something a little different in each bite. The inconvenient thing about component bowls is that all those components can take time to prepare. Chopping and cooking raw plant-based ingredients is time-consuming! This Sesame Orange Noodle Bowl is the exception, though. You’ll be surprised how quickly and easily it comes together!
How to Make this Noodle Bowl Recipe
This noodle bowl is a great recipe for a weeknight – it’s easy, packed with flavor, and full of fresh vegetables. It makes two large bowls of food, or 3 medium-sized bowls. If there’s any left over, pack it up for lunch the next day. See this post for my best meal prep and lunch-packing tips!
Noodle Bowl Variations
Bowl recipes are all about the components, so oftentimes, they’re incredibly flexible. This noodle bowl is no exception. If you don’t have or don’t like one of the ingredients in this recipe, feel free to swap in something else. Here are a few suggestions:
The veggies: I used red cabbage, sautéed mushrooms, and snap peas, but cucumbers, snow peas, carrots, radishes, blanched asparagus, roasted broccoli, or roasted Brussels sprouts would be great choices too. The fruit: I love the juicy orange segments here, but diced mango would be good too. You could also skip it, or add pickled ginger for pop. The protein: This recipe calls for baked tofu, but shelled edamame, crispy roasted chickpeas, or baked tempeh would be just as good. The sauce: I make an easy stir-together sauce with miso, sesame oil, orange juice, rice vinegar, and tamari or soy sauce, but my 5-ingredient peanut sauce would work here too. Something extra: I top this bowl with fresh cilantro, mint, and green onions. Feel free to use just one, or try fresh basil instead.
Let me know what variations you try!
More Favorite Bowl Recipes
If you love this noodle bowl recipe, try one of these tasty bowls next:
Bibimbap Mango Ginger Rice Bowl Vegan Poke Bowl Tamago Kake Gohan Best Buddha Bowl Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowl
Then, find more healthy lunch ideas (and tips on how to build your own bowl) here!
