Sesame Udon Noodle Bowl with Roasted Vegetables
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This udon noodle bowl recipe combines the thick, robust noodles with a colorful mix of roasted vegetables with a hard-to-stop-licking-the-spoon creamy (dairy-free) sauce made with tahini and toasted sesame oil.
Roasting a sheet pan full of vegetables is absolutely one of the easiest ways to get the sweet flavors of summer produce, anytime of year. It’s one of my favorite ways to approach vegetable cooking, and there’s nothing simpler!
The surprising twist in this recipe is that I created a fusion of two cuisines — Asian and Mediterranean — into one bowl .
Roasted vegetable ratatouille is a humble dish from southern France, a thick hearty stew made with a combo of colorful vegetables. I took my inspiration from that tradition to create the base of this totally yummy recipe.
- Eggplant: I use slender Japanese eggplant, but you can use any small purple, white or lavender-colored eggplant.
- Bell peppers: Choose red, orange and/or yellow sweet peppers.
- Tomatoes: Small cherry tomatoes are sweet and juicy. If you can find a assortment of colors the dish will be extra beautiful!
- Red onion: This type is a bit sweeter than typical yellow onion. You can also use shallots.
- Shiitake mushrooms: These meaty brown mushrooms are not “authentic” in ratatouille, but they are a staple in Asian cooking. They’re so delicious roasted!
- Udon noodles: I love the texture of udon noodles. They have a thick, chunky shape with a tender chew, almost like Italian bucatini pasta. You can make this recipe with any noodle you want, like soba or even spaghetti or rice noodles.
Sesame Udon Noodles with Roasted Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
Sesame Tahini Sauce
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tahini sauce
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) shoyu or tamari sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoons (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
Noodle Bowl
- 1 (226 g) Japanese eggplant, sliced into 2-inch chunks
- 3 ounces (85 g) shiitake mushroom caps, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 green onion (white and green tops), sliced diagonally
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 12 ounces udon noodles, or spaghetti
Instructions
Make the sesame sauce
- Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Noodle bowl
- Preheat the oven to 425 (220C) degrees
- Toss together the eggplant, shiitake, bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, red pepper and salt on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden brown
- Add the green onion and spinach to the pan and stir until the leaves wilt.
- Prepare the udon noodles according to package directions. Pour half the sesame sauce over the noodles and toss with tongs until they're coated.
- Portion the noodles into bowls and top with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over and serve.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- The roasted vegetables can be made 5 days ahead. Just reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes when you’re ready to assemble the bowl.
- Sesame sauce keeps well up to a week, refrigerated. If it thickens up, stir in a tablespoon or so of cold water to loosen it.
- Cooked udon noodles can be chilled up to 3 days and refreshed under hot running water before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.