A few weeks ago I picked up the Family Fun Fast Family Dinners cookbook at a local bookstore. I’m going to share a few recipes as I test them, then give a full book review in the next few weeks.
On Tuesday this week I made the Peanut Butter Noodles:
- Ingredients:
- 1 pound linguini, angel hair pasta, or soba noodles
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 5 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger root
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- optional toppings: grated carrot, scallions (sliced into rounds), cucumber (peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced), toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts
- Directions:
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, blend together the peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.
- Add the noodles or pasta, toss well, then garnish with the toppings.
- Serve at room temperature; serves 4 to 6.
The Verdict: My kids thought I had lost it when my answer to the nightly “what’s for dinner?” was “spaghetti with peanut butter.”
I did make a few changes: I use the jarred chopped garlic and ginger, it’s as fresh as I get on a weeknight! Our toppings were toasted sesame seeds and scallions. One comment I got from the kids was that it was “thick.” I’d add more toppings for more texture and color – shredded carrots and chopped peanuts. Also might toss in some cut up chicken if we had any left from grilling over the weekend.
This is a great quick meal – 20 minutes from pulling out the ingredients to sitting at the table. I was able to make a salad and prep the sauce while the water boiled and linguini cooked.
In all, the recipe was a hit. I let it cool to serve at room temperature, and devoured the rest cold right out of the fridge for lunch the next day.
This is one I’ll be trying. Twin B is my picky eater, and she would love this!
Sounds yummy! And I like how you can add/remove different ingredients (add chicken, change it up with veggies). I’m bookmarking this post and will keep an eye out for that cookbook. With a hubby, a 15yo and a 3yo yo feed, dinner can get tricky.
Sounds good to me, but my hubby would be asking me where the meat is.
YUMMY!!! Rates as a favorite in our family too.
Yum!! Both of my kids are annoyingly picky. They love chinese noodle dishes though. I’ll give it a try!
It looks delicious! I needed a suggestion for dinner tonight!
This sounds awesome! The recipe is definitely going into my bookmarks.
Yummy! I’m going to have to try this one!
Sounds interesting, but I think my hubby and daughter may think I was crazy.
Looks really, really good … too bad I’m allergic to peanut butter!
JoAnn – let me know if it’s a hit for her. My pickiest eater is the eldest (almost 13!)
Kathy – maybe try it with plain grilled chicken (will pick up the sauce)?
Molly – I feel like I’ve made a great discovery for my family – I can make the sauce as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken. Is your recipe very similar?
Sandy – it reminds me of a Thai dish
jenn – let me know if you try it.
Memory – ditto!
stacy – you too, I’d love to hear what others think of it.
Carol – they thought I was nuts when I told them “spaghetti and peanut butter” … but it was tasty!
LuAnn – ack! Don’t try this at home! I wonder how it would be with a soy or sunflower butter (we’re restricted to that for sandwiches at school)
Um! I’ll definitely be trying this one – and I can’t wait to see how the kids here react! Thanks for sharing.
You and your kids are certainly braver than I am! It sounds really gross though I bet it was pretty good lol.
gwendolyn – let me know what they think!
Ladytink – no, it’s really good! Not overly peanut buttery; like a Thai peanut noodle dish
sounds like an interesting noodle dish…I can’t eat it do to food allergies, but my hubby would love it.
That sounds really tasty… plus I’m in need of a snack at the moment, so my growling stomach says it sounds REALLY tasty. I’ll definitely have to give this one a try.
Thanks sooooooo much for posting this!! I’m definitely going to get these ingredients next time I go to the grocery store. I just love cooking and I adore noodles. Thanks!
Yikes! The name of this totally grossed me out but if your kids ate it then it must be good!
Serena – I wonder how it would taste with a soy or sunflower butter instead ..
Fyrefly – I like it even better cold from the fridge.
Lis – I hope you like it!
Jessica – I know, a name like “Thai style noodles” would sound more appealing to adults!
[...] have Kids’ Steps with suggestions of what a child could do to help with preparation. The Peanut Butter Noodles recipe we tested suggests “Kids can measure and mix ingredients and crush garlic in the garlic press.” [...]