One-Pot Peanut Sesame Noodles & Veggies

One-pot pasta is a bit of a mysterious wonder. All of the ingredients–dried pasta, veggies, seasonings–go into a big pot with what looks like an impossible amount of liquid. Everything’s brought to a boil, then you toss (and toss and toss) it in the pot while it bubbles away. It’s not unlike a stir-fry of sorts, in that it cooks quickly over high heat—with lots of hands-on time while it boils. But it takes very few minutes to go from raw to “dinner’s ready!”

And, what an awesome dinner it is. Suddenly, you have a glorious pot of perfect pasta with tender veggies and a scrumptious sauce. Magic, I’m telling you!

This version, One-Pot Peanut Sesame Noodles & Veggies, takes its cue from Asian influences — specifically the cold sesame noodle salad that most everyone knows and loves. We start with lots of veggies: onion, red bell pepper, carrots and bok choy.

Throw the veggies in a pot along with water, seasonings, and pasta. Dried linguine, by the way, is my go-to for one-pot pastas as it cooks up reliably within the (very specific!) 9-minute time frame and is sturdy enough to hold up to all the tossing that one-pot pastas need.

Aside from the veggies, this one-pot pasta gets its Asian flair from Tamari-style soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and a good bit of brown sugar for sweetness and balance. And don’t forget the heat! This recipe calls for a modest amount of crushed red pepper flakes, but if you’re brave, throw in some more.

After you take it off the stove, you toss in a few handfuls of Napa cabbage along with a splash of rice vinegar. Then top with lots of cilantro, peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, maybe even a few scallions if you’re inclined. One pot, many ways!

This post was originally published on August 11, 2014.

One-Pot Peanut Sesame Noodles & Veggies

Asia meets Italy in this veggie-loaded, flavor-filled one-pot pasta.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces linguine, uncooked
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 medium bok choy or 3 baby bok choy (about 1/2 pound), sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, cut into coins (about 1 cup)
• 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup Tamari-style soy sauce*
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like more heat)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 medium Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (about 4 cups, loosely packed)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• Toppings: fresh cilantro, chopped salted peanuts, sliced scallions, and/or toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. To a large and heavy pot over high heat, add the linguine, water, bok choy, bell pepper, carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt.
2. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, set the timer for 9 minutes and cook, tossing constantly with tongs, taking care to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the 9 minutes is up, the veggies should be tender, the pasta cooked through, and it should have a saucy consistency, with most of the liquid having evaporated.
3. Remove from heat and add the cabbage and vinegar, tossing until cabbage wilts, about 30 seconds.
4. Serve, topping individual bowls with cilantro, peanuts, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

*You can use regular, non-Tamari soy sauce, but because it is saltier than Tamari soy sauce, I suggest leaving the kosher salt out of the recipe and then adjusting seasonings to taste once cooked.