Crispy Tofu Udon Noodles (With Nut Butter)

These crispy tofu udon noodles (with nut butter sauce) are an easy and healthy dinner recipe with a variety of veggies and tossed in a delicious sauce. The creamy sauce is made up of nut butter (my favourite to use is cashew or almond butter!), soy sauce, sesame oil and more. Sauté some veggies and then air fry or roast some crispy tofu and mushrooms, then serve up with fresh herbs and green onion. It can easily be made both oil-free and nut-free if needed!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 shallot
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 zucchini
• 1 red pepper
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger (optional)
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• Pinch of salt
• 4-6 cremini mushrooms
• 1 block extra-firm tofu (approx. 350g)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (see notes for gluten-free)
• 2 heaping tbsp cornstarch
• 350-400g udon noodles
• 1 green onion
• Fresh cilantro
• Sesame seeds

Nut Sauce

• 1/3 cup nut butter (I used cashew & almond, see notes for nut-free)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce (see notes for gluten-free)
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave
• 1 lime (about 1-1 1/2 tbsp lime juice)
• 2-3 tbsp water

Equipment

• Non-stick frying pan
• Air fryer (or oven)
• Large mixing bowl
• Small bowl, measuring glass or jar

Instructions

1. If using an oven (instead of air fryer), preheat to 425F. Boil water for udon noodles.
2. Prep your veggies: slice the shallot, peel and mince the garlic, dice the bell pepper, slice the zucchini into half moons, and de-seed and dice the jalapeño (or keep the seeds for some heat!). Next, roughly chop mushrooms (into 4-6 pieces) and cube the tofu, placing both (mushrooms & tofu) in a large mixing bowl.
3. In the bowl with the tofu and mushrooms, add 2 tbsp olive oil, soy sauce and cornstarch and mix well. If needed, add a bit more cornstarch (you don’t want a pool of olive oil and soy sauce at the bottom of the bowl!). If air frying, do 16 minutes at 450F, tossing halfway. If baking, do about 18-22 minutes, flipping halfway and taking out once golden and crispy.
4. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat and sauté the shallots and minced garlic with a pinch of salt. Optionally, you can peel and grate in a bit of fresh ginger. Stir frequently, then after a couple minutes add the red pepper, zucchini and jalapeño. Keep an eye on it, turning it down to medium-low if needed, while you prep the rest.
5. Mix together the sauce with nut butter (or nut-free version, see notes), soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, agave/maple syrup, lime juice and water (start with 2 tbsp water, adding more if needed for desired consistency).
6. Cook udon noodles according to package directions. They should only take a few minutes, so if done before the rest of the veggies and tofu, drain, rinse, and pour in about half of the sauce, then cover and set aside.
7. Optionally, you can chop some fresh cilantro and green onion to serve.
8. Once the veggies are done and the tofu/mushrooms are roasted, plate everything: the udon noodles, sauteed veggies, tofu and mushrooms, cilantro and green onion, and sesame seeds. Top with the rest of the sauce, then serve up!

Notes

*You can use any nut butter in the dressing, such as peanut butter or other!

*For a gluten-free version, replace udon noodles with rice noodles.

*For a nut-free version, replace the nut butter with tahini or a seed butter such as sunflower seed or soy butter.