A friend of mine recently turned me on to soba noodles. I have no idea why I haven’t tried them before but if you’re a noodle lover, it’s a must try! They reheat amazingly well (hint: perfect for meal prepping) and this recipe in particular is SUPER easy because it uses frozen vegetables! This is the second time I’m making this recipe because it’s so good, and did I mention it was easy?? If I’m making a noodle-heavy dish, I always like to make sure it’s balanced with a lot of veggies. I used two bags of frozen vegetables and a package of pre-prepped veggie noodles. It makes a lot, great for feeding a big family or preparing for leftovers! This was my first time using kohlrabi noodles and I’m officially a fan. They held up really well (some veggie noodles fall apart easily), and they have a very mild flavor. You are more than welcome to spiralize your own vegetables of choice for this recipe, but anywhere I can save time- I’m doing it.
Sometimes I make dishes with 100% veggie noodles, sometimes I combine real noodles with veggie noodles like I did here. It’s totally up to you, but I find mixing real noodles with veggie noodles AND lots of other veggies to be way more filling (and satisfying). I’m on the hunt for 100% whole grain soba noodles (these are 30% whole buckwheat) but for now these work just fine!
Frozen vegetables are your friend. Seriously, read that again. So many people think that frozen vegetables aren’t as “good” as fresh vegetables, and that’s just not the case. Frozen veggies (with nothing added, always check the ingredients!) are full of the same nutrients as fresh- sometimes even more so because they’re flash frozen right at harvest instead of sitting in the produce section. Not only are they still nutritious, but they’re a huge timesaver. Look at all of the different vegetables in this dish- prepping all of those different vegetables would have been way more expensive AND would have easily tripled the prep time. Throwing frozen veggies into flavorful stir fries like this one is my favorite way to use them.
Finally, a word on coconut aminos- which is what I used in place of soy sauce in this recipe. If you’ve never tried them, coconut aminos are made from the sap of coconut blossoms + salt. Just ONE TABLESPOON of regular soy sauce usually has ~1,000mg of sodium….. which is insane. Ever feel ridiculously bloated after ordering Chinese takeout? There you go. So while coconut aminos are not sodium free, the sodium content beats out even “lower sodium” soy sauces by a landslide. It still isn’t sodium free, so always be mindful of how much you’re using. I also recommend reading the nutrition label on whichever coconut aminos you buy because they do vary- I’ve seen some that have ~100mg/1 tablespoon and some that have ~300+mg/1 tablespoon.
I hope you love this recipe is as much as I do! I plan on making it again very, very soon!
Ingredients
- 2 16 oz bags Frozen Vegetables *I used an "Asian stir fry blend" which was broccoli, green beans, sugar snap peas, carrots, celery, red peppers, water chestnuts, and onions. You can also use ~3-4 cups fresh veggies instead if you have them!
- 8 oz Whole grain Soba noodles *These were only 30% whole grain, I'm on the hunt for 100% whole grain!
- 10 oz Vegetable noodles (zucchini, carrot, kohlrabi, etc.) *If spiralizing your own noodles, use use 2 full cups
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos *low sodium soy sauce can be used in place, but keep in mind that it is higher sodium
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- chives or green onions (optional for topping)
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook chicken breasts on medium heat for ~5-6 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board and chop into bite sized pieces. Keep chicken separate from the pan.
- Start your noodles! Bring a large pan of water to a boil and add your soba noodles. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
- In the same pan you used to cook the chicken, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add frozen veggies and cook until thawed and heated throughout. Push the frozen veggies to the side of the pan and add your vegetable noodles. Cook for 3-4 minutes until tender.
- Add coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and garlic cloves to the pan. Combine well and cook 3-4 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
- Finally, add your soba noodles and chicken to the pan and combine well. Enjoy!
