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Easy, quick-cooking (30 mins), Saucy Cilantro Lime Tahini Noodles with Honey’d Sweet Potatoes. These are the perfect saucy noodle to enjoy any night of the week. Warm rice noodles tossed in a spicy, slightly salty cilantro-lime tahini sauce and served with honey roasted sweet potatoes and vibrant greens. These noodles are colorful, healthy, and beyond good. Incorporate this into your weekly dinner rotation and enjoy the leftovers (warm or cold) for lunch the following day.
One of my favorite easy dinners to make on busy nights is a bowl full of extra saucy peanut noodles. It’s a recipe I’ve been making since my early days of cooking, though over time I’ve really simplified the ingredient list and process.
Recently, however, I’ve been enjoying incorporating tahini (ground up sesame seeds) into more recipes. Not only is tahini a great alternative for anyone with peanut allergies, it’s also just as delicious as peanut butter. Of course, the flavors are different, but each is special and unique in their own way.
Tahini is much more of a neutral flavor and can be used in a variety of recipes. I’ve been getting creative with it and using tahini to create creamy salad dressings and sauces. But I’ve yet to do the obvious and make a saucy tahini noodle. Until now. And you guys? While these noodles took some extra effort to perfect, they’re insanely delicious, super easy, and healthy too. If I wasn’t in LA tonight, I would surely be making a bowl on my Instagram stories…but don’t worry, as soon as I return home I will. I am already looking forward to it.
These noodles are so good. The perfect warm, saucy, but healthy noodles to enjoy while cozied on the couch after a day of travel.
Here are the steps.
This recipe comes together quickly and requires a base of mostly pantry staple ingredients…with the addition of sweet potatoes, greens, fresh basil, and cilantro.
You’ll want to start with the sweet potatoes, as they take the longest time to cook. But while the potatoes roast, get to work on the noodles. The noodles come together in minutes and require almost no cooking.
Once the potatoes are done, toss on the greens, and put it all together. Simple. Simple.
Now, let me tell you about the sweet potatoes…
These sweet potatoes are extra special. I didn’t just roast them with salt and pepper. Instead, I decided to roast them the addition of sweet honey and spicy chili flakes. You guys know me and you know my favorite combo is salty, spicy, plus just a little sweet. So this is a very natural pairing for me.
As the sweet potatoes roast, the honey caramelizes on the edges creating the perfect crispy on the outside, but soft (almost buttery) inside. Truth? The sweet potatoes alone are reason enough to make this recipe. I find them to be addictingly delicious.
My best piece of advice when it comes to the sweet potatoes? Double this portion of the recipe. Honestly…these sweet potato rounds are like candy, you won’t be able to stop eating them.
While the potatoes roast, make the noodles.
The base of the noodles is made up of mostly pantry staple ingredients…tahini, soy sauce, chili paste, and plenty of ginger and garlic. It’s blended together, tossed over warm rice noodles, and finished with a touch of lime juice, fresh basil and plenty of cilantro too.
The tahini keeps the sauce creamy and slightly nutty, while the soy sauce adds just the right amount of saltiness. I find the fresh herbs to really tie everything together and complete the Asian inspired flavors.
Finish it up…
Finish this dish up with my favorite toppings…sliced cucumber, toasted sesame seeds, roasted peanuts, green onions, and a touch more cilantro, plus a little lime juice too.
It’s fresh, but cozy, and the easiest 30 minute dinner to make any night of the week. The added bonus to this recipe is that these noodles are great when enjoyed warmed or cold. This makes them perfect for Sunday meal prep or just enjoying the leftovers for lunch the following day.
I don’t love using the word perfect, but this recipe is pretty close to it. It’s heavy on the noodles and sauce, a little spicy, but balanced with the perfect amount of sweetness and crispiness from the sweet potatoes. It’s made extra colorful (and healthy) with a good amount of greens. An all-around simple and easy dish to create. As I like to say, nothing not to love!
So…how about Thursday Night Noodles with a side of sweet potatoes? Mmmm!
Lastly, if you make these Saucy Tahini Noodles with Honey’d Sweet Potatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Saucy Tahini Noodles with Honey'd Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- 8 ounces rice noodles, or long cut pasta
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chili paste , (I use sambal oelek)
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale spinach or bok choy, chopped
- sliced cucumbers and toasted sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking, until the potatoes are caramelized. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the greens to the sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until wilted. 2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package directions.3. Combine in a food processor the tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, chili paste, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 cup water. Pulse until combined and smooth, adding additional water as needed to thin the sauce. Pour the sauce over the hot noodles. Add the lime juice, basil, and cilantro, tossing to combine.4. Divide the noodles between bowls. Top with sweet potatoes and greens. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and finish with cucumbers. Enjoy warm or at room temp.
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.
I have all of the ingredients for this except the sambal oelek, & given the current situation I’d prefer not to go get it. But I love spice, so I don’t want to go without it either. What would you recommend subbing? Sriracha? A blend of dried spices? Thanks so much!
Hey Meg! I would use crushed red pepper flakes with a splash of Sriracha. Or even just the Sriracha. Either will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This was easy and delicious. We’ll definitely be making it again. We may even make the sweet potatoes this way as a side to other dishes too.
Thank you so much Angie! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this earlier this week and it was so amazing I am making it again for friends coming for dinner!! I need to comb through your apps to see what else I can make. Any suggestions? I am new to your site and have made three recipes so far. All have been so delicious! This is definitely my new go to recipe blog!!!
Hi Beth! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and I hope your friends do as well! What kind of foods do you enjoy? I would search them in the search bar and see if you like any of those recipes! Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I literally just made this, so I wanted to write down my thoughts so I can find it next time around! First, the sweetpotato rounds + bok choy were DELICIOUS. Would not change a thing about that. I think the recipe makes a lot more sauce than is needed and I used too much of it. Next time, I will use : a) 16 oz noodles, b) half the tahini called for, c) only 1 Tbsp soy sauce (it was a bit salty for me even low sodium), and add more water for a much thinner sauce. I also might try it with peanutbutter instead of tahini. All other proportions I’d keep the same. It was definitely interesting and different and I like that! I will also def be using the sweet potatoes in other recipes bc they were sooo good. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for trying this and leaving suggestions for others! I am really glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
For anyone reading my comment here – my brand of Tahini is definitely super thick compared to others. It’s more solid than peanutbutter. So generally, when I make this (and it’s a regular!!) I start with half the tahini and only 1 TB – 2 TB soy sauce, and then add more if needed. I also prefer using Udon noodles. I LOVE this meal!
Hi there,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I made this last night and improvised a bit!
Excellent sauce! I changed it up by adding sauteed shrimp and broccoli! Delish!
I did find a very good organic tahini right in our local grocery store.
My only comment, Tieghan? It does not take 10 mins to prepare. I had a helper…and it still took at least a half hour.
I LOVE your recipes, and have even purchased one of your books and follow you on Instagram using those recipes OFTEN! But, in most cases, your prep times are not what is noted.
Just thought I needed to say that! :/
Hi Linda! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! I am sorry it took longer to prepare! Its different for everyone! I hope you have a great week! xTieghan
I made this tonight. It had so much potential. Followed the recipe exactly. Sweet potatoes were delicious. The sauce had good flavor but was overwhelmingly salty. None of us could finish our noodles. Again I followed exactly. It’s worth another shot, but less soy sauce
Hi Cassandra! I am so glad you liked this, but sorry it was too salty! Please let me know if there are any questions I can help out with! xTieghan
Hi there – loved the recipe! But the honey keeps burning while baking, and I have to throw away a bunch of the sweet potatoes which gets burned. Any suggestions for how to fix? Thank you so much!
Hey Jess! Are you using a darker baking sheet by chance? Dark baking sheets tend to burn food with any kind of sweetness, so I recommend a lighter baking sheet. If this happens to be the case, try lining your baking sheet with parchment paper. That will solve the issue! Hoping this helps!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Delicious.
Thank you! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night! After searching for tahini at 2 grocery stores and striking out (oh, Ohio) decided to try plain ol peanut butter and it worked like a dream. My husband and I kept saying “mmm” the whole time we were eating!
I am so glad this turned out so well with PB Leah! Thank you so much for trying it even without finding the tahini! xTieghan
This recipe was a big hit! Though I didn’t think about how spicy it would be and my three year old promptly took a big bite, yelped and said “these are spicy!”
I made the sauce ahead of time so that at dinner time it was an even quicker preparation.
Ooo love it! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you Annie! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan , Made this tonight , was delicious . Only thing I’m not sure of is when I added the sauce to the noodles the sauce went very thick , almost a curdled look ? Did not spoil the flavour but didn’t look as nice , not being a smooth sauce it actually looked a bit lumpy ? Is there anything I did wrong as this is the only recipe of yours I tried that I felt wasn’t as it should have been .
Hey Jenny! What kind of noodles did you use? Also, what bran tahini? Any details you can give would be helpful. Hard to know what is happening since I am not in your kitchen with you.
I am glad love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Sigh. These were a fail for me- all my fault though. I definitely bought the wrong type of noodles which ruined the recipe. I bought Ka-Ma Singapore Express Rice Noodles (rice noodles are a hard buy in my grocery story. Plenty of Egg noodles but only really these instant kind for rice). Once I added the sauce to the noodles it instantly firmed up almost like there was egg inside the sauce and it were going. It lost all its saucy goodness and turned into a sad tahini mush haha I was so excited to. I also realized I forgot to add the soy sauce to the sauce. Not my Tuesday… what long cut pasta would you recommend so I can redeem myself with this recipe? Thanks!
Hey Drew! Try using linguine pasta. That will work perfectly!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made this last night and really liked it. Thank you for another goodie! I have a question about sweet potatoes. For some reason I can never get them to get crispy. They either get soggy or burnt. Any tips/tricks to get them to crisp up the way a potato does? Not sure what I am doing wrong!
Hey Annie! Is it possible you are overcrowding the pan and steaming the sweet potatoes? Try not to have any of the potatoes be too close to each other. If needed use 2 baking sheets. This is my best tip!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Super rad. Whole family loved it! Used brown rice noodles, purple Dino kale from my backyard, Aleppo pepper on the sweet potatoes and served with a jammy egg on top. My 7 year old said “can you make this sauce everyday?”
Aw that is so sweet to hear! Thank you so much for trying this recipe!! xTieghan
I have been eyeing this recipe since you put it up and just made it tonight. This is SO delicious!!
Thank you so much Paige! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan