Sometimes you just need to really look forward to your lunch, and sometimes = always.
Will you look forward to:
- silky smooth, lusciously creamy sesame sauce that you can just shake up in a jar real quick
- fork-twirly noodles with just the right amount of stick to hang onto that sauce
- salted edamame
- crispy cucumber bits
- juicy browned chicken or tofu or whatever protein you love – like, I don’t know, I’m having visions of a soft boiled egg?
YOU TELL ME.
This recipe is incredibly easy, which, as you know, is kind of the only way I do meal prep. E-A-S-Y.
The sauce can shake up in a jar and the noodles can cook in 2 minutes (serious).
And just like that, you have sesame noodles.
And said sesame noodles are, in fact, the base of the sesame noodle bowls, so basically you’re done. Now it’s just up to you how extra you want to get with your bowl-ing.
I went medium effort on my sesame noodle bowls with cucumbers, edamame, sesame-ish chicken, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds, and it was part noodles, part salad, part health bomb, and I loved it.
You can debate me on hot vs. cold all day – I will let you win either way because both are amazing.
Guys, this is a desk lunch to keep you counting the hours till lunch BUT NOT LIKE I DO THAT?! Happy prepped lunches to you!
15 Minute Meal Prep: Sesame Noodle Bowls
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 bowls 1x
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Pin Recipe Description
Meal Prep Sesame Noodle Bowls! Fork-twirly noodles, an easy creamy sesame sauce, perfect browned chicken, and all the veg. YUM.
Ingredients
Sesame Sauce:
- 1/4 cup sesame paste (or tahini)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Sriracha and sugar to taste
Bowls:
- 6–8 ounces stir fry noodles, Chinese egg noodles, or linguine in a pinch
- 2 cups edamame, cooked
- 2 cucumbers, diced
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced (optional: see notes)
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Sauce: Whisk all sauce ingredients together until smooth (or you can run it through the food processor, or shake it up in a jar).
- Noodles: Cook noodles a few minutes LESS than package instructions. If your noodles seem very sticky, rinse them in cold water. Toss noodles with about half of the sesame sauce.
- Bowls: Divide noodles, edamame, cucumber, and chicken into containers. Drizzle with a little extra sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Voila! Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Eat hot or cold. Take a shot for the ‘gram cause this is your moment.
Notes
If you love sauce: Make a 1.5x batch. Especially if you are going to use some on the chicken. Or want some leftover in your fridge or freezer.
Ideal method for cooking the chicken: Cut a pound of chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Done. If you like a little browning on your chicken (like what’s pictured here), once it’s baked, just pop it in a skillet with some extra sesame sauce and let it get nice and roasty-browned on the outside!
Noodles: The noodles I used said “Oriental Style Noodles – Product of Japan” on the package, but a lot of the videos I watched for sesame noodles recommended Chinese egg noodles. Whatever noodles you use, I’d recommend cooking for slightly less than what is directed on the package.
Soy sauce: A lot of recipes I saw called for dark soy sauce! I liked using dark soy sauce and probably would do that again, but I also found that the sauce still tasted really good with regular or low sodium soy sauce. In my opinion, either one can work.
Hot / cold: If you do want to eat these sesame noodles hot, I would recommend storing the cucumber separately and adding it after you heat it up.
Other vegetables / proteins: Cucumbers are traditional with sesame noodles, but I think just about any vegetables (and/or protein) would be great. Carrots. Bell peppers. Broccoli. Green onions. Shrimp. Salmon. Tofu. Tempeh. Peanuts.
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
