Udon Noodles with Black Pepper Tofu
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These Udon Noodles with Black Pepper Tofu are filled with crispy veggies, savory noodles and fried tofu. The perfect vegan noodle bowl!
Give me a bowl of saucy noodles, crispy tofu and veggies and I am one happy girl. These noodles are especially tasty with layers and layers of flavor. You can easily swap out the veggies depending on what you have on hand AND these make the best leftovers!
How to make Black Pepper Tofu
For this recipe I decided to use firm tofu (instead of extra firm) and pan-fried the tofu instead of baking it. If you want to use either of those options, I would check out the Bang Bang Tofu recipe for cooking instructions.
First things first…press your tofu. I grabbed a couple plates and just sandwiched the tofu in between them to drain the extra liquid. I like to let the tofu sit for 30 minutes. Cube the tofu, being careful not to let it crumble too much.
Combine all of the marinade ingredients together, then toss the tofu in it and heat some oil in a pan. Add the tofu to the hot pan and cook until all sides are browned – or at least, mostly browned. Set aside and put the pan back on the stove.
How to make Udon Noodles with Black Pepper Tofu
Into that empty pan, add some more oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger and green onions until fragrant. Add the celery, carrots and a splash of the noodle sauce. Let it cook down for a couple of minutes, just so the veggies are slightly tender.
Add in the cooked udon noodles, spinach and the rest of the sauce. Give everything a good toss and let the spinach wilt. Add the tofu back to the pan and give it all one last toss.
How to serve Udon Noodles with Black Pepper Tofu
To serve, top the bowls with plenty of green onions, sesame seeds and more red pepper flakes – if you like the spice!
Save any leftovers in individual containers in the fridge for easy lunches the next day!
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Udon Noodles with Black Pepper Tofu
Ingredients
FOR THE TOFU
- 1 block firm tofu pressed
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp black pepper
- oil for frying*
FOR THE NOODLE SAUCE
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp vegan oyster sauce can be subbed with hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional
FOR THE NOODLES
- 14 oz udon noodles
- oil for cooking veggies
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 inch fresh ginger diced
- 3 green onions diced, whites and greens separated
- 2 large carrots shredded
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 handfuls baby spinach roughly chopped
- sesame seeds for serving
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 10-30 minutes. Meanwhile prep the veggies and combine the noodle sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the udon noodles and gently toss with tongs – just until they fall apart (about 60 seconds). Drain and set aside.
- Combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil and black pepper in a shallow bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut the tofu into squares and place in the marinade. Gently toss to coat.
- Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the tofu and cook, flipping, until all sides are browned. Remove the tofu and place the pan back on the stove.
- Add some more oil to the pan with the garlic, ginger and whites of the green onions. Cook for 60 seconds. Add the celery, carrots and a splash of the noodle sauce. Toss to combine and cook until the veggies are slightly tender. Add the noodles, spinach and remaining noodle sauce. Toss until combined and the spinach is wilted. Add the tofu back to the pan and give everything a final toss.
- To serve, add equal amounts to 4 bowls and top with sesame seeds, the remaining green onions and more red pepper flakes.
Video
Notes
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This sounds so good… but I simply cannot have more than 500mg sodium at a meal. This recipe has 1792mg sodium. That’s about 4X what I can have!! I’d like to enjoy this recipe, but, can you please help me revise contents to lower sodium content??
I would just cut the sauce in half – that is where most of the sodium is coming from.
I made this tonight and kt was a HUGE hit!!! I definitely will be making it again, thank you!
So happy to hear it was a hit Rose Ann!
I just made this. Such a tasty beautiful recipe. I didn’t have spinach so I left it out but I bet it would of brought it up a notch. Next time. Love it thank you
Thanks Anne!
We’ve made this several times now, including twice skipping the cornstarch and using tempeh in place of tofu. We scale the sesame oil back a little bit, but that may just be personal preference. This has been a regular in our rotation & will continue to be! Thank you!
Hi Trista! So glad you liked this and were able to make so many variations!
Absolutely loved this.
These were really good! I’ve never made udon noodles before. I’ve tried so many new recipes since subscribing to your dinner meal plans.
My whole family loved this! I added in some broccoli and it was a very satisfying meal. thanks!