World’s Easiest Peanut Satay Noodles

I’ve made peanut noodles dozens of times in my time as a mom and a cook, and I can attest that a homemade peanut sauce isn’t the hardest thing to make. Everyone likes it, even the pickiest of eaters (aka kids). But I’ve gotten to the point where using a bottle of Thai peanut satay sauce makes more sense (and is cheaper) than getting all the authentic ingredients (tamarind sauce, lemongrass, red chili …) and making a mess with the food processor. And so, we give you — the world's easiest peanut satay noodles!

For this recipe, I used my supermarket’s organic brand — so tasty, and surprisingly low in calories for a sauce whose main ingredient is organic peanuts! Per ¼ cup (the label serving size of 1 tablespoon isn’t realistic) it’s only 100 calories and 4 grams of fat.

There are lots of other peanut satay sauce brands to try, like A Taste of Thai and Thai Kitchen — you’ll likely find one or the other of these in your supermarket’s Asian foods section. Trader Joe’s even offers a good one. If you can’t find them at the store, you can get them on Amazon or other online sources.

I can make a mean peanut sauce, but for me, this is meaner — and leaner. And for anyone who wants to yell at me that this is hardly a recipe— yeah, that’s the point.

What you need

• 8-ounce package soba or udon noodles (you can also use
  regular linguine or spiralized zucchini "noodles")
• 1 large broccoli crown
• 8- to 12-ounce bottle or jar Thai peanut satay sauce
• 1 bunch scallion (you’ll be using 2 or 3)
• Hot stuff like sriracha or dried red pepper flakes, optional
• Chopped nuts for topping, optional

What to do

1 Cook the noodles according to package directions.

2 Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into small florets.

3 Cut 2 or 3 scallions thinly.

4 When the noodles are just about done, plunge the cut broccoli and scallions into the simmering water and cook just until the broccoli turns bright green. This will take less than a minute.

5 Drain the noodle and broccoli mixture well, then transfer to a serving bowl. Pour on as much peanut satay sauce as you’d like and stir to combine.

6 Add hot stuff to taste, or pass it around so that everyone can spice up their own.

• See more of our shameless shortcut recipes and vegan food hacks.