I have to admit, for some reason, soba noodles used to intimidate me so much! Then, when I had my meal delivery service, I needed to come up with some fun vegetarian ideas, so I got to work.
If you don’t know what soba noodles are, they are noodles, roughly the size of spaghetti, made from buckwheat and traditionally served in Asian cuisine. Soba noodles are served either hot or cold, which means this vegetarian dish makes a great lunch option, because it tastes just as good if you refrigerate it and eat it cold!
Because soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, they are more brittle than traditional pasta, but they also cook much faster! This is both good and bad. It’s good, because it means you get to your meal that much faster, but it can be bad because you have a very small window of time before they begin to disintegrate in the pot of boiling water.
This recipe took the soba noodle intimidation away! They’re so easy and so full of flavor. This vegetarian dish comes together super quickly, and makes a perfect weeknight meal.
Some things to remember:
Soba noodles cook much faster than traditional pasta. Keep an eye on your noodles and follow the package directions closely! I like to run cold water over the noodles once I drain them. This takes out some of the heat, so they don’t continue cooking once drained.
Watch the vinegar mixture closely. Because it has sugar in it, it will burn if you walk away from it.
If you don’t care for tofu, no worries! You can leave it off or substitute chicken or shrimp!