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Craving something fast, cozy, and wildly satisfying? Meet your new weeknight noodle bowl. Chewy noodles get tossed in a creamy gingery peanut sauce, then topped with crispy sesame-seared halloumi, fresh herbs, and a big squeeze of lime. Twenty minutes, big flavor, minimal dishes—yes please.
Watch the How To Video Here:
Oh how I would kill for a bowl of these noodles right now. I may be in Korea, but with the businesses of everything we have been doing, we have not had any time to explore and find good authentic Korean food. So far we’ve eaten a lot of kimchi, beef bulgogi, and shrimp fried rice…for breakfast. It’s definitely been very interesting.
As I write this, it’s the morning before my brother, Red competes in finals, so approximately four fifty one am on Sunday morning here in PyeongChang. I am all messed up with what day it is and when I should be sleeping, but I am so thankful to be here with my family and watching my brother do something that is beyond incredible. I’m amazed by him, and no matter the results, I will forever be proud of Red for making it to the Olympics…and now the finals. The kid is only seventeen and has accomplished one of the biggest goals imaginable.
Pretty cool.
I plan on a quick update for you all tomorrow, but I’ll be doing a full recap of the trip when I return home later this week. Until then, I’m going to try to soak in all that we are experiencing here.
For now though, let’s talk noodles! It’s no secret around here that I love peanut butter and noodles. Most frequently my peanut butter is paired with sweets, and my noodles with cheese, but peanut noodles have always been a favorite of mine and it’s about time I shared a recipe with you guys.
This recipe is up there in my top favorites, and for two reasons.
One, it’s so easy.
Two, it’s so good…addictingly good.
This noodle recipe is all about the sauce.
It’s heavy on the peanut butter, and flavored with Thai curry paste, ginger, honey, and toasted sesame oil. Everything is mixed in the blender and then tossed with hot noodles and topped with fresh lime, basil, and cilantro.
To add an extra layer of texture and flavor I pan-fried some Halloumi cheese in soy and sesame oil. It’s kind of like crispy tofu…but better. I mean, it’s salty pan-fried Halloumi cheese atop peanut noodles.
I don’t know about you guys, but that sounds pretty awesome to me.
The major bonus to this recipe…just how quickly this dish comes together!
Twenty minutes and DONE. Yup, I sure am good with that.
Better Than Takeout 20 Minute Peanut Noodles with Sesame Halloumi
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles or long cut pasta
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari , (be sure to use low-sodium)
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chili paste , (I use sambal oelek)
- 1 tablespoon Thai curry paste
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 mango, sliced
- 1 cup shelled, edamame
Sesame Halloumi
- 8 ounces Halloumi cheese cubed
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain.2. Meanwhile, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, chili paste, curry paste, ginger, garlic, and 1/2 cup water. Pulse until combined and smooth. Pour the sauce over the hot noodles. Add the lime juice, basil, cilantro, carrots, bell peppers, mangos, and edamame. Toss to combine.3. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the Halloumi and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.4. Divide the noodles among bowls and top with Halloumi. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Trust me…these noodles need to be on your dinner table tonight.
Used tofu instead of halloumi and maple syrup instead of honey to make vegan! I loved it and nonvegan family members enjoyed it too!
Hey Kale,
I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan
This is a spectacular recipe, just like everything else on HBH that I have tried. My one complaint is that it takes an hour MINIMUM to prepare this dish. There are so many things to chop, and even though I tend to be efficient with time there is absolutely no way that one person could make this in 20 minutes. I have noticed that other commenters agree and vote for the time to be changed in the recipe if possible! I think it’s worth correcting, because the flavors in this dish are unreal and need to be tasted by everyone. I could not stop licking the sauce off of every pot and spoon.
A question: if I were to omit two ingredients to decrease chopping time here, which ingredients would you omit?
Hey Sally,
I am so thrilled this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! Sorry I would keep all of the ingredients:) xTieghan
Awesome dishes I will have again with any kind of veggies
Hey Michelle,
I am so thrilled this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xTieghan
These noodles were SOOOO GOOD! I reduced the amount of oil and soy sauce in mine by half and didn’t have mango but it still turned out great. The sesame halloumi is a delicious touch. Will be adding this to my regular recipes for sure.
Hey Courtney,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for trying it out!! xTieghan
Just dropping by to say, this is the best recipe on the internet! I have been making it for 2 years and it’s a family favorite. THANK YOU!
Hey Morgan,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
I just made it and it was amazing!!!
Thanks so much for trying the recipe Natalie!! xTieghan
Hello, just found your site and so many of your recipes I want to try. I was wondering for this recipe where do I find the cheese and the Thai curry paste. Also is this spicy and if so can I make it not spicy , as I don’t like spicy. Thank you, I’m excited to enjoy your blog .
Hey Christie,
I find both the cheese and thai curry paste at my local grocery store. This is a little spicy, you can reduce the curry paste to your liking:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My sauce came out super soupy. Followed the recipe exactly. Way too much soupy sauce to noodle ratio. GREAT FLAVOR!!
Hi Anne! I am really glad you loved the sauce! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
Seriously amazing!
Thank you Jackie! xTieghan
What kind of curry paste do you use for this recipe? Red curry paste? Thanks!
Hi Alicia,
Yes I use thai red curry paste. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was delicious; wonderful flavors. Better than most restaurant meals. However: 20 minutes?!?? It took me 45 just to do all the peeling, slicing, grating, shredding, and chopping and easily another 30 to assemble and blend the sauce, boil water and cook the noodles, and grill the cheese. I’m sure I’m slower than Tieghan, but I’m a pretty competent home chef and it took me nearly quadruple the time estimate.
Hi Erin! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I apologize that the timing was misleading. I’ll definitely check again to make sure its accurate! xTieghan
This recipe was so good! I used birds eye chilis in place of the chili garlic sauce and galangal (Thai ginger) in place of regular ginger since I had them on hand and wanted to use them up. Halved the amount of soy sauce since I didn’t have low-sodium. Really loved the addition of mango to this dish, it balances out the saltiness of the peanut butter and soy. My parents loved it as well which is nice because they don’t typically eat this kind of thing! Thanks for a great meal 🙂 x
Hi Maddy! Thank you so much for trying this one! I am so glad you and your parents enjoyed it! xTieghan
I can’t find halloumi in my grocery store can I use feta or firm tofu instead?
Hi Nicole,
Yes, either of these would be great to use! I hope you love the recipe!
This was fabulous. So many amazing flavors. I have made it with and without the cheese and it is good both ways.
That is so great! Thank you so much Sandra! xTieghan
Made this tonight and.. oh my was it delicious ? The perfect comfort food to eat while social distancing during these trying times. I followed the recipe as written except for doubling the mango because I love them and have some that were about to turn. I plan on using the peanut sauce for a tofu broccoli stir fry tomorrow. Another fantastic recipe that will be in regular rotation at my house ?
Amazing! Thank you so much for trying this Katie! I hope you are staying healthy and well! xTieghan