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Vegetable Lo Mein made with spaghetti noodles and simple vegetables in an easy lo mein sauce. Skip the takeout and save money!
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We love to make lo mein right at home. Stir-fried vegetables, tossed with tender noodles in a sweet and savory sauce. Yeah, this one's on my regular rotation. The best part, it's budget-friendly, and ready in 30 minutes. This lo mein recipe uses everyday ingredients available at most grocery stores!
Vegetable lo mein ingredients
Vegetable lo mein is made of vegetables, long noodles, and a sweet and savory sauce. The list of ingredients for this lo mein recipe are customizable!
- lo mein noodles (or any long, thin noodle)
- green onions
- mushrooms
- bell peppers
- snap peas
- napa cabbage
- reduced-sodium soy sauce
- sugar
- sesame oil
- fresh ginger
How to make lo mein
* Get the full recipe below
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions; rinse, drain, and set aside.
- Whisk together lo mein sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Saute the veggies.
- Toss the noodles, veggies, and sauce together.
- Heat everything throughout, and serve.
What kind of noodles are used in Lo Mein?
Lo Mein recipes typically call for wheat noodles that you boil, drain, and toss with other ingredients in a wok or skillet. But, you can use any noodle for this Asian noodle recipe. I often use spaghetti or linguine noodles because I always have them on hand.
Chow Mein vs Lo Mein: What's the Difference?
Lo Mein and Chow Mein are both Chinese noodle dishes made with wheat noodles. The major difference between them is how the noodles are prepared in the manufacturing process.
- Chow mein noodles are fried, then packaged.
- Lo Mein noodles are boiled or steamed, then packaged.
I prefer lo mein noodles because they're lightly sauteed instead of fried. Both noodles require boiling before they can be turned into noodle entrees. However, chow mein noodles can be used straight from the package (dry) and crumbled up as garnish or toppings for Asian dishes like salad, soups, and entrees.
What is Lo Mein sauce made of?
Lo Mein sauce is a sweet and spicy sauce that's often made with soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and spices.
In order to make my recipe both vegetarian and vegan, I skipped the oyster sauce. You can also add Sriracha, ginger paste, or hot sauce to kick things up a notch.
The best vegetables for Lo Mein
The beauty of this Asian noodle recipe is that you can use any vegetables you like. For this recipe, I used green onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, snap peas, and cabbage, but the possibilities are endless!
How to meal prep lo mein noodles
- Follow the recipe below, but do not add the sauce to the noodles and vegetables. Instead, package it into 2-4 oz portioned containers.
- Allow the cooked veggies and noodles to cool, then portion into meal prep containers.
- Store meal prepped portions in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- To reheat, pour the lo mein sauce over the noodles and reheat until fully warmed through. Use your favorite reheating method, stirring as needed. You might like to eat the noodles cold too!
Recipe tips
- Substitute any long, thin noodle for lo mein noodles in this recipe.
- Use a reduced sodium soy sauce to cut down on the sodium.
- Once the pasta/noodles have been boiled, rinse them under cold water to remove excess starch and prevent them from over-cooking.
- Prepare ingredients up to 3 days in advance to save time cooking on a busy weeknight.
More healthy Asian recipes
- Kale Sesame Noodles
- Asian Slaw
- Banh Mi Sliders
- Easy Peanut Sauce
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Chinese Stir Fry Vegetables
📖 Recipe
Vegetable Lo Mein Noodles
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When scaling the recipe 2x or 3x, the gray ingredient note stays the same. Adjust quantities accordingly.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Lo Mein Egg Noodles, or linguini noodles
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger, finely grated
- 2 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 3 Green Onions, sliced, save green tops for garnish
- 2 cups Mushrooms, chopped
- ½ large Bell Pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups Snap Peas, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups Cabbage, shredded
Instructions
- Cook NOODLES according to package directions; rinse in cold water, drain, set aside.
- To make Lo Mein Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together SOY SAUCE, SUGAR, SESAME OIL, and GINGER; set aside.
- Heat SESAME OIL in a large skillet or wok; add GREEN ONIONS (white stalk), MUSHROOMS, BELL PEPPERS, and SNAP PEAS. Sauté until tender, stirring as needed.
- Add CABBAGE and sauté a few minutes until tender, stirring as needed.
- Add cooked NOODLES and LO MEIN SAUCE. Continue heating until warmed through, gently tossing as needed.
- Serve warm or chilled; garnish with sliced green onions
Recipe Notes
- Substitute any long, thin noodle for lo mein egg noodles in this recipe.
- Use a reduced-sodium soy sauce to cut down on the sodium.
- Once the pasta/noodles have been boiled, rinse them under cold water to remove excess starch and prevent them from over-cooking.
- Prepare ingredients up to 3 days in advance to save time cooking on a busy weeknight.
Equipment
- small mixing bowl
- large nonstick skillet or wok
Debra says
YUM! Recipes that can use up whatever veggies I have in the crisper drawer are my favorites. This sauce sounds delish and I love how simple this is to put together. I know what we are having for dinner tonight!!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome and glad to hear it! Hope you love it...thanks Debra 🙂
Marisa Franca says
What a gorgeous dish!! It is so appealing to see the colorful vegetables among the delicious pasta. So much better to make it at home and KNOW exactly what is in the dish rather than takeout! Great explanation between the noodles. We are having Asian style chicken tonight -- these noodles would be great as a side.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Marisa 🙂 Hope you get to try them. Asian style chicken sounds amazing too! 🙂
Annemarie says
I love lo mein too but the restaurant versions are just too much to have often, so I'm happy to see this homemade version! I can definitely see making this often, especially since I can mix up the veggies based on what we have in the house. Thanks for a quick and vegan dinner!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Annemarie! Yes, hope you make this one and LOVE it! 🙂
Sean says
I've heard from quite a few people now that spaghetti works quite nicely as a replacement for some Chinese noodles, but I haven't tried it yet myself. In fact, I think there's a whole category of fusion-y modern Thai food that uses spaghetti in place of the more traditional Chinese noodles. In any case, this sounds like a great recipe to get myself going with, and it's nicely loaded up with veggies to boot. Cheers!
Traci Antonovich says
It totally works out great! And we always have it on hand 🙂 Thanks Sean!
Annissa says
Wow! This is like making real takeout at home! I love how much color and nutrition the veggies add. I'm going to have to share this one with my vegan friends!
Traci Antonovich says
Love hearing that, Annissa! Thanks for saying so 🙂
Tracy says
Oh my gosh thank you for making this recipe standard pantry item friendly! I never have the right noodles on hand and it usually dissuades me from the recipe. Thanks for showing me you can use regular noodles for lo mein, too!
Traci Antonovich says
Haha yep, plain old pasta noodles will do any day 😉 Thanks Tracy!
Dana says
Thanks for clarifying the difference between lo and chow mein. Any time we get Chinese takeout, I look at the two, and bring up Google images to try and decipher which one I might prefer more, and then I just go for something else. Lol. I love East and Southeast Asian noodle dishes so very much, so this recipe is perfect to have up my sleeve.
Traci Antonovich says
Haha yep, I'm a lo mein girl all the way 🙂 I'm right there with you on the Asian noodle dish...any time, any day!
Gloria says
Who wouldn't want to dive into this noodle bowl. So delicious, and perfect for dinner any night of the week. LOVE the fact it can be made at home so easily. I really don't like takeout, especially when you can make food like this at home.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Gloria! Love to hear that 😉
RebeccaLyn says
Making this tonight with different veggies .., can’t wait to plate it and sit down to some beautiful food.
Traci Antonovich says
Yay! This makes my day...hope you LOVE it! 🙂
Jane says
Another winner my friend! So beautiful and healthy = score!
Traci Antonovich says
Aww thanks Jane...love hearing that from you! This could be made with any gluten free noodles too...but you knew that already 😉 oxo
Emily says
I love how loaded with veggies your lo mein recipe is! Can't wait to make this for me and my family soon, looks so good!
Traci Antonovich says
Love hearing that, Emily...hope your family loves it! 🙂
Katie says
I never think of making lo mein at home, but it is one of my favorites when we go out for Chinese food. This is so much healthier! Thanks for the reminder!
Traci Antonovich says
Awesome Katie! Love hearing that I've inspired you...hope you make one at home and LOVE it 🙂
Ann says
YES. This looks so fresh and flavorful, not to mention infinitely adaptable! I love stir fries for clearing out the fridge.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Ann...haha we do "refrigerator surprise" around here too 😉
Savita says
Traci, these noodles look so delicious. Pass me a bowl please! Love the fact that these are vegan.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Savita! I love hearing that...day made 🙂
Allison Mattina says
Noodles are often involved in our meatless Mondays! We will have to try this one tonight!
Traci Antonovich says
Yay Allison! Hope you love it...noodles are a fav here too!
Jem says
Noodle dishes are one of my favourites as you can really make them your own. Yum!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Jem...I really love that about them too! The restaurant ones are usually not so healthy, lol 😉
Tara says
I can see why this is one of your favorite comfort foods. It looks incredible! I love all those vegetables.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Tara! Such a favorite comfort food! Never too many veggies 🙂
Jill says
Love how colorful this is and the sauce especially sounds delicious!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Jill! Love hearing that...the sauce just makes it!
Lisa L Bynum says
Oh, I love all the colors going on here. I just want to dive right in with a fork!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Lisa! Grab a fork...there's plenty to go around 🙂
Pam says
This sounds great, and so versatile! And, I love how simple your sauce recipe is.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Pam! Yep, 4 ingredient sauce is all I need for total happiness 🙂
Brian Jones says
Stir fry is such a great way to cook and it really is just about the best quick meal going, all the ingredients in this sound glorious!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Brian! Love hearing that and you're right, the ingredients are glorious...so simple! 🙂
Natalie says
I love Lo Mein noodles! This dish looks so good! Perfect for midweek dinners!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much, Natalie! I'm right there with you and loving lo mein noodles! ALL noodles 😉
Julie says
This sounds like a quick and healthy meal for lunch or dinner. Love that!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Julie! It definitely works perfectly for both 🙂
Claire says
Having some good vegan dishes in my pocket is top of my list for 2018 as I have a friend who recently turned vegan!!!! It isn't something I have ever thought about before.
So this is just perfect!!!!!!!! Thank you
Traci Antonovich says
Yay thanks Claire! I recall you saying this recently, so I'm always happy to help out 🙂
Dana says
Oh goodness, Traci! This looks so incredibly delicious and healthy! Not to mention perfect for weeknights. 30-minute meals for the win!
And now I'm craving lo mein.
Traci Antonovich says
Awww thanks so much, Dana! Love hearing all of this...and that craving, it's real 😉