Broccoli Ramen with Peanut Sauce
THE FARMHOUSE
We’ve been upping our vegetable intake lately in preparation for all the sweets and delicious-unhealthiness the holidays are sure to bring. You too? This broccoli ramen with peanut sauce recipe has been on our table at least once a week lately. It’s quick (30 minutes tops), healthy, and the kids eat it up too. Getting those vegetables in sure can be delicious 😉
This is one of those recipes that makes use of pantry staples + a couple of fresh ingredients. That means we almost always have everything to make this meal on hand. If we don’t have broccoli, we sub cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, and greens (like kale or spinitch). I love simple, adaptable meals like this!
All three of our kiddos are fans of this broccoli ramen. Albeit we serve it to them a little different - with the noodles, sauce, and vegetables separate - that way they can dip things themselves. And for our one kid who is going through a doesn’t-like-peanut-butter-anything phase (like how?!), we serve him the sauce packet that comes with our favorite ramen noodles. Honestly, this dish is really good with a simple ramen sauce too if you aren’t a fan of peanut sauce or are short on time.
Oh and one note about the peanut sauce - we’ve made it with and without the sweet chili sauce listed in the recipe. It works either way. It’s a little more balanced with the sweet chili sauce, but if you don’t happen to stock that ingredient in your fridge, I don’t think you’ll miss it. But one thing you shouldn’t skimp on: a good, natural peanut butter. We used Public Goods’ organic this time (it’s so good!) and often buy large quantities of Adams from Costco. Chunky or creamy will do just fine.
Broccoli Ramen
Serves 4
Prep + Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
4 cups broccoli florets (about 2 crowns)
1 medium onion, wedged
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
3 packages ramen noodles (we love these)
For the sauce:
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (~ 1 large lime)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 clove of garlic, diced
For the garnish:
chopped nuts (Public Good’s spicy Chipotle Almonds were perfect in here!)
lime wedges
Instructions:
Saute olive oil, salt, onion, and garlic and broccoli over medium heat until fragrant. Cover and let cook until broccoli is tender.
In a blender (or whisk by hand), add peanut butter, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, sweet chili sauce, and diced garlic. Blend or whisk until combined.
In a saucepan, cook ramen noodles per package instructions. After draining, toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking.
Plate noodles and vegetables and pour sauce over top. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and fresh lime if desired. (For our kids, we plate all the ingredients separate).
note: We like to double the sauce recipe and the veggies and store them separate in the fridge. That way, we just have to boil noodles to get a second meal.
You might have noticed a lot of pictures of Garrett in this post…he does almost all of our cooking. He just seems to have a knack for making a meal with whatever we have on hand (he doesn’t really use recipes) and he enjoys it, too. I remember back when my sister came home from a semester abroad in Mexico with NOLS and told me her instructor said: “find yourself a partner who can cook and doesn’t make you shave your legs.” Solid advice 😊
Most of the pantry staples in this meal came from Public Goods, a mail-order company we use to stock our pantry, kitchen, and bathrooms. (They’ve recently become a sponsor of the Grit and Polish on Instagram - yay!) Their products are great and we love their focus on health and sustainability. Big bonus, they deliver straight to your door so you don’t have to go into a store. We liked them so much we joined their affiliate program so here’s a discount code for you: GRITANDPOLISH gets you 15% your first order (and they have a free 2-week membership trial). Highly recommend putting some of their seasoned nuts in your cart!
Hope you enjoy this quick meal as much as we do! Anything you’ve been eating lately to stock up on vegetables before the holidays arrive?