Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles are a great vegetarian weeknight dinner! Made with tahini, lime, almond butter, ginger, and plenty of veggies.

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

I have more than a few soba noodle recipes on this site, but I’ve decided that THIS recipe is my new favorite. These noodles are rich, tangy, creamy, sweet and a little spicy, with loads of kale mixed in – I love meals like this for weeknight dinners. The formula is simple: sauce + noodles + seasonal vegetables. Check, check, and check. The sauce can be made in advance and the rest can be assembled fairly quickly.

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

First, let’s talk about this sauce because it’s the main component of this recipe. It’s tangy, nutty, salty, and lightly sweet. It’s sweetened with Truvia Nectar, which is a blend of stevia leaf extract and honey. It has 50% fewer calories per serving than sugar, but I have to tell you that it tastes just like honey… or maybe even a tad sweeter which means that you can use less of it without sacrificing flavor.

I usually use peanut butter to thicken noodle sauces but this time, I’ve used a mix of tahini and almond butter. You can choose to use one or the other, but I think the combination of both gives this tangy sesame sauce a rich flavor without being too nutty.

I get a lot of reader requests for recipes that use alternative sugars, so I hope you give this lower-sugar recipe a try!

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

The vegetables I chose here were from my weekend farmers market haul. I picked up kale, garlic chives (you could use regular chives!), scarlet turnips, and black radishes. You can switch out the vegetables however you like (in the summer I would go for cucumbers), but I really loved the combination of these bitter root vegetables with the sweet sauce. Plus – HOW PRETTY ARE THEY?

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

5.0 from 2 reviews

Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles

 
Sweet Sesame Tahini Noodles are a great weeknight dinner at any time of year. Swap in your favorite seasonal vegetables to customize your noodle bowl!
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces soba noodles
  • 1 bunch kale (about 8-10 large leaves), chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped chives
  • 1 black radish, thinly sliced*
  • 1 scarlet turnip, thinly sliced*
  • ½ cup microgreens, optional
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • Lime slices, for serving
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sesame Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons tamari
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1½ tablespoons Truvía Nectar
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon chili-garlic paste, more as desired
Instructions
  1. Make the sesame sauce by whisking together the tamari, sesame oil, tahini, lime juice, Truvía Nectar, almond butter, garlic, ginger and chile-garlic paste in a small bowl. It should be a drizzable consistency. If it’s too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
  2. Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions or until al dente. Drain and gently rinse under cold water. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil to keep them from clumping together. Set aside.
  3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the kale and sauté until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir in the chives. Add the soba noodles to the kale/chive mixture and toss. Drizzle with ¾ of the sesame sauce and toss again. Taste and add the remaining sauce as desired. Assemble four individual serving bowls with the soba/kale mixture, radish and turnip slices, microgreens, if using, and sesame seeds. Serve with lime slices and extra chile-garlic paste on the side.
Notes
*Feel free to sub with a handful of small red radishes, or 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced.

This is a cold noodle recipe but feel free to heat your noodles up if you like.

This post is sponsored by Truvia. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that keep us cooking!

19 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Rachel
    12.29.2017

    I’d love to make extra sauce to keep on hand, how long do you think it would last in the fridge?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.29.2017

      Hi Rachel – about 5-7 days. If it separates after being in the fridge, give it a stir before using. If it gets thick in the fridge, stir in a little bit of warm water. Hope that helps!

  2. Nikky
    10.30.2017

    Just made this – very good, light, refreshing recipe. Simple and easy to make! Used Sriracha instead of the garlic-chili paste because that was all I had – was not too spicy at all, would add more if I wanted it on the spicier side. Loved it!

  3. Valarie
    03.19.2017

    Hi, Where do you find Chioggia beets or watermelon radishes or black radishes?
    I’ve been to Sprouts and Whole Food and cannot find them! Please help!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.19.2017

      I find them at Whole Foods, but they can be seasonal and/or vary by region – you can always use regular radishes and/or cucumbers here instead!

  4. Kay
    02.28.2017

    What would be a good substitute for truvia nectar?

    • Pixiemom
      03.02.2017

      I wonder the same thing. I’m thinking of using a little agave nectar or possibly light brown sugar.

  5. Natalie from lilcookie.com
    02.28.2017

    Beautiful pictures! It looks so tasty!

  6. Izzy | pinch of delight
    02.28.2017

    These look so yummy! x
    Izzy |https://pinchofdelight.com

  7. This sounds so amazing, I love your love for soba noodles Jeanine! I haven’t had them nearly enough and am glad I read this post before heading to the market today <3.

  8. This bowl looks perfect – a balanced combination of pasta and veggies, all tied together with a delicious sauce!!

  9. Thank you for this! Always on the lookout for better sweetener options for baking as my husband is diabetic. Will have to check if it’s available in Canada.

  10. Megan
    02.28.2017

    Hi there! Where do you buy your soba noodles? I’ve been checking at Sprouts & Kroger grocery stores for weeks and I haven’t been able to find any!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      02.28.2017

      That’s so weird, I’ve never had a problem finding soba noodles, but maybe it’s just different for every region? I use brown rice spaghetti noodles as a soba sub all the time – they’d be just find here.

    • Liese
      02.28.2017

      No Asian market in your area? My Korea market has 2 shelves worth at various prices – it’s an hour away so I shop there when doing other things. Whole Foods has them but usually more expensive. In any case read the ingredients cause sometimes wheat content will be more than buckwheat. If that’s the case I think you might as well use fettuccine!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.