Crispy tofu, mushrooms, and eggplant are tossed with gluten-free noodles and sweet Asian-inspired sauce to make a healthy weeknight summer dinner. Vegan.
I know I say this a lot here… but my absolute favorite meals are the ones that became something out of nothing. I realize this doesn’t look like quite nothing – some of you (mom) are thinking this looks like a lot of ingredients to happen to have on hand. But I promise… a half opened thing of mushrooms on one shelf, a couple scallions in the bottom left drawer, and these few poor eggplant counting down their last days… were not exactly screaming “yay dinner” in unison.
“Old me” would have left these things aside, and gone to the grocery store with a brand new list… “newer me” would choose one item, look up a coordinating recipe and head to the store for more stuff. “Newest me” is way to lazy for any of that, but still requires an awesome dinner. Plus I just hate to throw things away.
Ginger Miso Noodles with Eggplant
- 10 oz brown rice noodles (or soba noodles)
- A few tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan
- 1 (14 oz) package extra firm tofu, cubed
- 1½ cup sliced mushrooms (any kind)
- 1½ cup sliced (Japanese or Chinese) eggplants
- A few handfuls greens, (ie, spinach, kale)
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- Sesame oil, for drizzling
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Sea salt and fresh black pepper
- 2 tablespoons miso paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons mirin (or sake, or rice vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ⅔ cup low sodium veggie broth
- Cook the noodles according to package directions, or until al dente. Set aside. If the noodles are done before the rest of your components are ready, toss them with a little oil while you drain them so they don't stick together while they sit to the side.
- Make the sauce: Whisk together the miso, honey, mirin, garlic, ginger, and broth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
- Prepare your tofu by slicing and draining it on some paper towels. Dab the tofu to remove excess water.
- Cook the tofu: Heat oil in a large skillet. Get your pan screaming hot and add the tofu. Leave it for 30 seconds or a minute, then toss it around, stir frying for a few more minutes until it is nice and golden. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the mushrooms and eggplant: Using the same pan as the tofu (wipe out any burnt parts), add some more oil, heat the pan up again and add in the mushrooms and eggplant. Add just a little splash of the sauce (you'll add the rest at the end). Stir fry until browned and the mushrooms are soft. The time will vary depending on the heat of your stove, I cooked mine for a total of 8-10 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low, add the noodles to the pan, and drizzle in more of the sauce. You might not use all of it (and it's on the sweet side), so start with about half, adding more later as you taste. Add the tofu back into the pan along with a few handfuls of greens and the scallions and toss everything together. Taste and add more of the sauce, or salt and pepper if you wish.
- Remove from heat and serve, finishing with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
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Oops. Beet greens went in, not beets. 🙂
Oh my gosh, this is good! Funny that I had things in my fridge I needed to use or lose and this worked out really well. Used a regular eggplant and two portobellos. Bought golden beets yesterday so threw in those beets. Have really been enjoying your recipes, thank you!
Oops there in those beet greens!
So easy and so good! I happen to have all these things on hand and they needed to get used. Didn’t have tofu so doubled the eggplant and mushrooms. Thank you again for another great recipe!!
I made this exactly as written, almost. I used more eggplant because I’m inundated, and I used the globe style because my Japanese type didn’t do well. It is amazing. It is going in my collection of recipes that I will make over and over. Thanks!
Looks like a good recipe. But honey isn’t vegan, so you might want to update it to use golden syrup or maple syrup or something else instead.
This meal was quick to make and absolutely delicious!
Made this recipe with my mother. Taste was very bland and not enjoyable really. Would not make this again in the future.
we thought the taste was bland/needed something — put tamari (or soy sauce) on it – does the trick, delicious!
Is there another type of vinegar you can use if you don’t have any of the ones you suggested? I don’t have rice, miring or sake… only red wine vinegar or apple cider…
Hi Jennifer – I haven’t tried it with red wine or apple cider vinegar – the acv would be a better option than red wine vinegar, but I really can’t say without trying it myself. It’s quite a bit different than rice vinegar.