Asian Vegetarian Pasta

On a warm summer evening, the last thing anyone wants to do is spend hours over a hot stove and oven cooking a weeknight dinner. At this time of year, simplicity is the key to dinner preparations. What comes to mind are quick pasta dishes that can be prepared in a short period of time and take about as long to put together as it does to cook the pasta.

Cold noodle dishes, such as pasta salads, are always very popular especially when you're invited to a party and don't know what to bring. If you're searching for a tasty and unusual pasta recipe, try the recipe below for Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce. This recipe was inspired by the familiar Chinese take-out dish Cold Sesame Noodles. Here, the soy sauce is replaced with the addition of vegetable broth, which adds an interesting flavor contrast with the peanut butter. Be sure to use the smooth variety of peanut butter; the chunky variety will cause the sauce for the noodles to become thick and lumpy. In place of the sugar snap peas and red bell peppers used here, you could use a variety of other seasonal vegetables to add to the pasta, such as tomatoes or cucumbers.

Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Serves 4

• Coarse salt
• 1 pound spaghetti
• 8 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced lengthwise
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin long strips
• 1/4 cup canned or Homemade Vegetable Broth
• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until the noodles are al dente, according to the package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta under cold running water. In a large bowl, combine the pasta with the sugar snap peas and the red bell pepper.

2. In a small saucepan, stir the vegetable broth together with the peanut butter. Heat and stir with a whisk until the peanut butter begins to melt slightly. Stir in the water, lemon juice, pepper flakes, pepper and garlic; heat until the mixture is warmed throughout. Remove from the heat; let cool slightly. Pour the sauce mixture over the noodles and vegetables; toss well to coat. Serve the noodles chilled or at room temperature.

Note: This same dish can be made with Japanese noodles, such as udon or soba, or Chinese rice noodles. You can find these specialty noodles at a variety of Asian markets or supermarkets in your area. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce

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