Help me with my noodles please

January 18, 2017 4:18 PM

I am in love with the high protein bean pastas. Currently I pair them with marinara and feta. I'm looking for alternatives. Quick, veg'n-friendly, and both exotic as well as bland/basic additions are appreciated!

I would love your ideas for sauces to pair with bean linguine. Marinara is going to get old soon. I need to be able to make my meals within 30 minutes or prep on weekends. Thank you, Hive Mind!

posted by crunchy potato to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

This 15-Minute Avocado Pasta sauce is so good, my now ladyfriend blurted out something about marrying me when I made it two weeks after we started dating. It can definitely handle high-protein pastas, I have had it with all sorts.

I am not vegan, so I go nuts with Parmesan but it's amazing without it too. I also love to double up on the lemon juice and zest.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 4:31 PM on January 18, 2017 [3 favorites]

Modified Tom Kha Gai: Cut up veggies (bok Choi or Napa cabbage?) and saute. Separately, cook noodles in 2 cans veggie broth and 1 can coconut milk. Combine. Season with lots of lime juice, chili, ginger.
posted by Ausamor at 4:34 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

I haven't had bean linguine, but I make a peanut sauce similar to this one*, which would make cardboard noodles tasty. I usually make a quadruple batch and freeze it in dinner-size portions, because mr. jane would eat it straight out of the fridge with a spoon, if left to his own devices.

Noodles and just peanut sauce is good, but you can add all kinds of vegetables: bell peppers, napa cabbage, cilantro.

*I would double the lime juice.
posted by sarajane at 5:01 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

I've made some great pasta salads with bean-based pasta. It's not veg friendly but a favorite of ours in the summer includes canned tuna, fresh spinach, olive oil and lots of lemon juice. Maybe you could, instead of the fish, toss in some brown or wild rice for the texture/completer protein.
posted by padraigin at 6:38 PM on January 18, 2017 [1 favorite]

My lazy-ass peanut sauce:

Pour a splash of sesame oil, a splash of rice vinegar and three splashes of soy sauce into a bowl. Pour in some minced garlic and ginger (or garlic and ginger powders if you're extra lazy). Add a generous spoonful of peanut butter. Throw in noodles while they're hot and stir well so that the peanut butter softens and becomes a sauce. Add more PB if needed. You can stir in marinated tofu, diced peppers, or broccoli and sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top to make it seem like you actually did something. Great hot or cold.
posted by mynameisluka at 6:58 PM on January 18, 2017 [2 favorites]

Previously.
posted by Bruce H. at 9:09 PM on January 18, 2017

I absolutely love the black-bean rotini from Trader Joe's, but I don't know if you can find it anywhere else. I make a Tex-Mex sort of pasta salad with it:
* Cotija cheese
* Avocado
* Onion if you wish
* Black olives
* Hearts of palm
* Nopalitos
* Cilantro
* Roasted corn
and then make a little dressing out of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss and let sit so it tastes like something.
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:01 AM on January 19, 2017

Pesto! I love the edamame noodles with pesto + a little parmesan (or omit for vegan) + the tofurkey spinach/pesto sausages chopped up (you could sub any vegetarian meat replacement that is vaguely Italian in flavor). You can make your own pesto if you want but I just buy it from my grocery store for ease of cooking, and heat up the sausage in the same pot once I drain the noodles.
posted by jouir at 7:45 AM on January 19, 2017

Is there some reason not to do stir fry veg and some green curry sauce on top? You can get frozen bagged stir fry veg that takes 5 minutes in a pan over high heat.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:50 AM on January 19, 2017

I like these super simple sesame noodles from Sweet Amandine. Really good with some sweet red pepper, carrots, and broccoli. I usually pair it with tofu sauteed in coconut oil.
posted by carrioncomfort at 10:38 AM on January 21, 2017