Cold Soba Noodles with Tahini Sauce
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This recipe for cold soba noodles with a ginger orange tahini sauce takes about 10 minutes to prepare. Quick, easy, and delicious.
Curiosity is our best friend when it comes to health and my eating habits have sure been curious lately. Since settling into the new schedule of Monday -Friday without Jordan I’ve noticed some quirks.
When he was around often times in the afternoon between sessions or school work we would check in regarding lunch, and then throw together something both of us wanted, but that typically meant heavier food, it was usually later in the afternoon, and it always threw off my dinner plans. Flying solo for lunch every day has been quite interesting. I want simple food. I want it right around noon. I want Easy food. Cold food. Nothing complicated.
Sometimes it’s just a smoothie, last week I had veggie bowls with sauerkraut 3 days in a row and this week it was all about these soba noodles.
For all the work I’ve done around food I am still awe struck by how habits are formed and sometimes unhealthy habits take over without us noticing. When what I really want to eat for lunch is a bowl of steamed veggies, why did I end up eating a bowl of pasta? I’ll tell you why, it was made for me, plated for me, and plopped down right in front of me. Duh. Of course.
Nothing wrong with pasta, nothing wrong with steamed veggies. Both are perfectly fine in the right circumstance, but here I am on day 10 of flying solo for lunch and realizing that for the past year plus I have not been really listening to my body. I was eating what was easy and convenient.
Easy and convenient can work, as long as it comes with a huge helping of “Is this really what will support me right now? Is this what my body wants?”
So cold soba noodles for the supportive check in win. Swiss chard, carrots, soba; 3 main ingredients. The sauce is made of tahini with fresh orange juice, garlic, and ginger and it is to die for.
The orange ginger tahini sauce is really what makes this bowl of goodness great.
A note on soba noodles: I am currently crushing on Eden Organic Kamut Soba Noodles I find the combination of Kamut flour and buckwheat flour produces a superior noodle with the perfect bite. Buckwheat flour is gluten free (I know it seems counterintuitive since there is wheat in the name) but Kamut flour is not. If you want to make this gluten free you can try King Gluten Free 100% Buckwheat Noodles
For more tasty vegetarian dishes, check out my vegetarian recipes, quick weeknight dinner recipes, August recipes and pasta recipes roundups!
Thanks for reading Abra’s Kitchen! To see what goodness I’m whipping up be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you make this recipe tag #abraskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation 🙂
Cold Soba Noodles with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Soba Noodles
- 1 bunch swiss chard
- 1 carrot shaved into ribbons
Tahini Sauce
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 orange juiced
- 1 tbsp water
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the chard. Trim off any dry or tough stem ends. Finely chop the remaining stems and roughly chop the leaves, keeping them separate.
- Cook the noodles and chard. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the soba according to the package directions. Add the chard stems during the last 4 minutes and the leaves during the last 2 minutes. If the noodles cook in less than 4 minutes, give the stems a head start.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together the tahini, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos or soy sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, and water until smooth. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, until loose enough to coat the noodles.
- Cool and drain. Drain the noodles and chard, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and drain well to avoid diluting the dressing.
- Toss and serve. Combine the noodles, chard, carrot ribbons, and dressing in a large bowl. Toss gently and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Gluten-free option: Choose certified gluten-free soba noodles and use coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce. Many soba noodles contain wheat.
- Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Toss before serving, adding a splash of water if the dressing has thickened.
Nutrition
Meet Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN
Abra is a licensed nutritionist, seasoned home cook, and forever flavor-chaser. She’s spent more than two decades exploring the connection between food and health—and just as long obsessing over what makes something truly delicious. Abra’s Kitchen is where those two loves meet, with recipes that celebrate vegetables, follow the seasons, and make you excited to cook.
