Kale Sesame Noodles are easy Asian noodles made with fresh kale, onions, shaved Brussels sprouts, and lemon tahini sauce. Meal prep this vegan pasta dish and enjoy as cold sesame noodles during summer or warm comfort food during cooler months.
Kale Sesame Noodles
Asian noodles are one of my favorite comfort foods to indulge during any season of the year, and you don’t need ninja skills to make them.
This pasta dish requires minimal prep of everyday, fresh veggies that add so much nutritive value and flavor. Fresh kale, red onions, and Brussels sprouts are sauteed and tossed in a lemon tahini sauce, making this an exciting pasta dish!
These sesame noodles are naturally vegan and are perfect to meal prep for dinner or lunch for your busy week ahead!
How to make Kale Sesame Noodles
Step 1: Cook pasta noodles according to package instructions, drain, and set aside.
Step 2: Whisk together the creamy, vegan sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Step 3: Saute veggies until tender.
Step 4: Add noodles to veggies and saute until warmed through, stirring as needed.
Step 5: Add tahini sauce to noodles and veggies and heat, tossing to combine.
* See recipe below for full instructions
Sesame Noodles Meal Prep Tips:
Tip #1. Cook pasta noodles a day or two ahead (during meal prep day) for an even quicker dinner during the week.
Tip #2. Chop veggies in advance, or even stir fry them, but don’t add the sauce to the noodles until ready to serve.
Tip #3. Brussels sprouts can be shredded with this mandoline or thinly sliced with a knife for this recipe.
Tip #4. If meal prepping for lunch, keep the sauce and noodles separate until ready to serve. This helps the veggies maintain freshness during storage throughout the week.
Meal Prep Steps
Step 1: Follow all instructions up to the point of adding the tahini sauce (refer to full recipe below).
Step 2: Allow the noodles and vegetables to cool completely before packing into airtight containers.
Step 3: Store the noodles and vegetables together, but store the tahini sauce separately. This will preserve the freshness of the cooked noodles and cooked veggies.
Step 4: When ready to eat, drizzle tahini sauce over veggie noodles; serve cold, or reheat to serve warm, depending on your preference.
Ingredients for Kale Sesame Noodles
- pasta noodles – I use whole-grain vermicelli noodles or brown rice noodles for this recipe (for a gluten-free option).
- tahini – a paste made of ground sesame seeds most commonly used in hummus; it’s creamy and makes the perfect lemon-tahini sauce for this recipe; two-month shelf life in refrigerator after opening.
- lemon juice – I prefer fresh lemon juice when possible, but I always keep a bottle of lemon juice on hand for last-minute lemon needs.
- water
- reduced-sodium tamari – a gluten-free, vegetarian version of soy sauce. You can also use soy sauce for this recipe.
- avocado oil – This is my favorite, neutral-flavored oil because it’s healthy AND affordable. I like to combine this with the sesame oil for my sesame noodles (as opposed to using just sesame oil by itself). It keeps the oil on the light side.
- sesame oil – I love to use toasted sesame oil, but non-toasted works beautifully too! Either one will get the sesame noodle party started!
- Brussels sprouts – these add SO much to this recipe. Nutrients, texture, color, flavor…all the things!
- red onion – green onions would be amazing in this recipe too!
- sliced almonds – this unexpected ingredient adds a nice texture and flavor to this recipe.
- sesame seeds – I use black sesame seeds for this recipe mainly for their contrasting color. However, white sesame seeds will add just as much flavor and texture and will be more readily available in most grocery stores.
- kale – I love to use dino kale for this recipe, but any kale will be a great choice! Kale contains vitamins and minerals like calcium and potassium, and vitamins A & C, so…live it up!
Recommended Tools:
- chef knife
- cutting board
- salad spinner (for leafy produce)
- Mandolin slicer (for slicing Brussels sprouts)
- 3.5 qt saucepan with lid (for pasta)
- 12-inch nonstick skillet
- mixing bowls
More healthy kale recipes
Lemony Kale Salad with Chickpeas & Avocado
Instant Pot Vegan White Bean Kale Soup
Grab these healthy Asian recipes
Vegetable Lo Mein Noodles are great when you want to skip the Chinese takeout and save money but still get your Asian noodle fix.
Vegan Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry is a crazy popular recipe that goes the distance any night of the week. It’s creamy and full of nutrition!
Asian Quinoa Slaw Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette is just one of those salads you can eat for days…and I do!
Kale Sesame Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 oz Vermicelli Noodles or Brown Rice Noodles
For the sauce:
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Tahini
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 1 Tbsp Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce or Tamari
For the veggies:
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 6 Brussels Sprouts sliced thin
- 1/2 small Red Onion sliced thin
- 2 Tbsp Sliced Almonds
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 cup Dino Kale sliced thin
Instructions
- Cook NOODLES according to package instructions; rinse quickly under lukewarm water to stop them cooking, drain, and set aside.
For the sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk together TAHINI, LEMON, WATER, and TAMARI; set aside.
For the toppings
- Preheat a nonstick skillet over med-high heat.Add the SESAME SEEDS and ALMONDS.Toast until fragrant and lightly browned, stirring constantly (2-3 min).Transfer to a plate; set aside to cool.
For the sesame noodles:
- Heat AVOCADO OIL and SESAME OIL in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add BRUSSELS SPROUTS and RED ONION; sauté until tender, stirring as needed (3-5 min).
- Stir in KALE; sauté until tender (2-3 minutes).
- Stir in cooked NOODLES, continuing to heat until warmed through, stirring as needed.
- Drizzle TAHINI SAUCE over veggies and noodles; heat until warmed through, stirring as needed.Serve warm, topped with the toasted nuts and seeds, or refrigerate the sesame noodles in an airtight container and serve chilled with toppings added upon serving.
Meal prep tip:
- If meal prepping this entree, do not add tahini sauce until you're ready to serve the entree. Store the sauce and noodles separately, and add it just before serving.
RECIPE NOTES
Nutrition
Traci Antonovich
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Andrea says
09/11/2019 at 8:05 amThis looks fabulous! I really like the idea of sliced Brussels sprouts, yummy.
Traci Antonovich says
09/11/2019 at 8:36 amThanks, Andrea 🙂 They really make the dish!
Veena Azmanov says
09/10/2019 at 8:10 pmLove your recipe and love the combination of your ingredients. Delicious ..
Traci Antonovich says
09/10/2019 at 8:56 pmThanks, Veena…glad you think so 🙂
Sara Welch says
09/10/2019 at 8:08 pmWhat a savory recipe! I am adding this delicious dish to my dinner line up for the week!
Traci Antonovich says
09/10/2019 at 8:53 pmAwesome, Sara! So glad to hear it and glad you can enjoy this one 🙂
Sara says
09/10/2019 at 6:03 pmThis looks great and I am not a huge kale fan. Maybe I just hadn’t had it in the right dish yet.
Traci Antonovich says
09/10/2019 at 8:51 pmHaha, I love to think you can like it with this dish 🙂 Hope so! Thanks, Sara 🙂
Paula Montenegro says
09/10/2019 at 4:56 pmOh wow, this recipe sounds amazing! I want to make the lemon tahini sauce right now! I can only imagine how great these noodles are. Thanks for sharing,
Traci Antonovich says
09/10/2019 at 8:50 pmThanks, Paula! So glad you can enjoy this 🙂
Tee says
08/27/2018 at 3:51 pmWow! My new go to favorite! I’ve made this 3 times now and it is a truly amazing dish; I increased the veges because I just love them; I used Soba Buckwheat noodles and it was outstanding!
Traci Antonovich says
08/27/2018 at 9:02 pmThank you Tee! This absolutely makes my day…my week! I really appreciate you dropping in and commenting 🙂
Danielle says
08/14/2018 at 8:56 amNow this is my kind of healthy comfort food. Any way I can get some kale in to my meals is good with me!
Traci Antonovich says
08/15/2018 at 12:24 pmThanks Danielle, I’m right there with you 🙂
Taylor Kiser says
08/14/2018 at 8:43 amHello dinner! So easy to make and looks delicious! Win-win!
Traci Antonovich says
08/15/2018 at 12:24 pmThanks Taylor! Yep, easy and delicious…my favs 🙂
georgie says
08/14/2018 at 8:32 amthese look great! i love sesame anything it’s so fresh! this looks healthy too so I am down!
Traci Antonovich says
08/15/2018 at 12:25 pmThanks Georgie! Yep, pasta with fresh, healthy things…I’m with you! 🙂
Beth says
08/14/2018 at 8:18 amFresh sprouts are my favorite ever! And kale is so very good for you! I haven’t sauteed it yet, only fresh or in soups!! I’m definitely giving this a try!
Traci Antonovich says
08/15/2018 at 12:25 pmThanks Beth! Hope you love it! 🙂
Elaine says
08/14/2018 at 7:59 amSo much flavour in this 30 minute meal! Love that Dino kale. It’s so much more tender than other varieties. Crunchy almonds are perfect on top!
Traci Antonovich says
08/15/2018 at 12:26 pmThanks Elaine! Yep, love my dino kale.
Shawna Garrett says
06/18/2018 at 9:27 amI made your recipe and loved it!! Thank you! Would you please share which kind of noodles you used?
Traci Antonovich says
06/18/2018 at 11:52 amHi Shawna…so glad to hear you loved it! I typically use regular pasta noodles…everyday spaghetti noodles work great! Or, if you’re gluten free, brown rice spaghetti noodles from Trader Joes work perfect! Hope that helps 🙂
Deanna says
02/05/2018 at 5:25 amWow! These look great! I would never thought to do this with Kale!
Traci Antonovich says
02/05/2018 at 6:16 amThanks so much Deanna. Yeah, been doing this for years (and thinking everyone does it lol). Hope you get a chance to make them 🙂
Tracy says
02/04/2018 at 6:16 pmPDQ! Hahaha I haven’t heard that term in so long! This is EXACTLY my kind of meal. I love “sneaking” kale in anywhere I can – although sneaking isn’t the right term. I’ll eat kale with anything! 😉
Traci Antonovich says
02/04/2018 at 7:18 pmThanks Tracy! I love it that you know what PDQ is LOL. And yeah, I’m not a ‘sneaker’ either…I’m crazy about kale! Remember when it used to only be a salad bar decoration? Hahaha! So glad it’s allll changed for the better!
Saima Zaidi says
02/04/2018 at 5:30 pmBookmarking this recipe and making it the coming week! I would have made it like right now but I don’t have the ingredients at hand:( I absolutely love recipes like this which don’t entail spending hours in the kitchen on a weeknight when you don’t want to do anything hard or complicated or time consuming!
Traci Antonovich says
02/04/2018 at 7:15 pmAwww Saima, I love hearing this! And I’m 100% with you…I want quick meals to get in and out of the kitchen on busy weeknights. Yay, hope you love this one like I do…thanks again! 🙂
Saima Zaidi says
02/10/2018 at 9:42 pmHi Traci! Made your recipe today. It turned out just great!! I did sub avocado oil wih olive oil and added half a teaspoon each chilli flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Husband and kids loved the taste of sesame and the demand is that it be made every other day. Subscribing to your email list for other great recipes!
Traci Antonovich says
02/10/2018 at 10:45 pmYay Saima…I’m so excited to hear this! Thanks for the kind words and great feedback…and your subs sound perfect. I’m so glad to hear you’ve found a new fav. Looking forward to seeing you on my subscriber list! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
02/04/2018 at 11:21 amThis is so much my kinda dinner, you have no idea! GORGEOUS!
Traci Antonovich says
02/04/2018 at 4:30 pmYay Dorothy! That makes two of us! Hope you get a chance to try it out…thanks!
Pam Greer says
02/04/2018 at 10:33 amI am always looking for ways to add more kale to my diet!! I’ve been using it in salads a lot lately, so I really like the idea of these noodles to change it up some!
Traci Antonovich says
02/04/2018 at 4:27 pmThanks Pam! Glad to inspire you…and if you like pasta, you’ll love this! 🙂
Chris says
10/08/2017 at 11:08 pmThis looks crazy delicious! I’m totally an ambassador for meals under 20 mins, so thank you for the inspiration on my next quick dinner 🙂
Traci Antonovich says
10/11/2017 at 1:38 amSo glad to hear it, Chris! I love hearing this 🙂
Chris says
10/08/2017 at 11:06 pmThis looks crazy delicious!! Also I’m totally an ambassador for meals under 20 mins, so thank you for the inspiration on my next quick dinner 🙂
Ginny McMeans says
10/08/2017 at 7:25 pmAs soon as saw that title I knew I wanted to jump into that recipe. And it’s got Brussels sprouts! Delicious!
Traci Antonovich says
10/08/2017 at 7:42 pmThanks Ginny! It’s a fav of mine and the Brussels sprouts just add that extra bit of texture and flavor. Thanks for the comment! 🙂
Mindy Fewless says
10/08/2017 at 5:44 pmThis looks so good! And I love that you sliced the Brussels sprouts for easy eating!!
Traci Antonovich says
10/08/2017 at 7:40 pmThanks Mindy! Ya, it’s a great way to “sneak” them into the dish 🙂
Hannah Hossack-Lodge says
10/08/2017 at 3:01 pmThis sounds delicious! I’ve been trying to eat more vegan meals recently and this looks like just the thing for a busy weekday.
Traci Antonovich says
10/08/2017 at 4:31 pmYes, this is the perfect meal, especially if you’re working vegan into your diet. It comes together easily and can be eaten as an entree or side dish. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂