We are just over a month into our summer vacation and it has been both easy and hard having all five kids home. I love having them all home with no set schedule and going where the day takes us. Sometimes we have big adventure days and sometimes we stick more local. Sometimes we don’t even leave our neighborhood. Of course, more kids home means more questions, more noise, and more needs to meet all day. It can mean more arguments between kids that require intervening. All in all, I love it and we are fully leaning into summer. I try to take little bits of time for myself during the day; I wake up before my kids wake up to exercise, shower, and spend a little time reading or working. I also try to take a little bit of time in the middle of the day to eat a delicious lunch and read a book. Thankfully, these sweet and spicy sesame noodles are ready in about 15 minutes and the perfect vehicle for any vegetables.
While the noodles are cooking, I get the garlic and ginger cooking in sesame oil while I check the refrigerator for any vegetables that need to be used up. I really love a kale and mushroom combination in this dish, but broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash all work really well. The recipe is very forgiving. The ingredients listed below serve two people, but you can easy double this recipe if you’re serving more people or want more leftovers. Once the sauce is done cooking in the skillet, add your veggies to cook them until crisp tender and your greens are wilted, then add in the cooked noodles. No sad lunch for you! Take some time to enjoy your sweet and spicy sesame noodles before you hear the next “Mommmmmmm” or need to head to your next meeting at the office.
Of course, you can also make this as an easy dinner. I find it to be plenty filling as is for lunch, but when I make it for dinner I like to add some chicken, shrimp, or ground turkey. I don’t like anything that’s too spicy, but the heat level in this is just right. If you’re making it for kids, you may want to cut the chili garlic paste in half. I hope you enjoy this perfect easy meal!
- 2 packages ramen noodles (seasoning packet discarded)
- 4 tbsp. sesame oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inches ginger, grated
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp. chili garlic paste
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced
- 8 oz. mushrooms, chopped or sliced
- Heat a pot of water and add the noodles. Cook until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili garlic paste, and brown sugar. Cook for a few minutes to thicken.
- Add kale and mushrooms and cook until the kale is wilted and mushrooms are browned.
- Add the noodles to the skillet and toss to combine.
- Serve topped with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply