Tofu Veggie Noodle Bowl with Cabbage Noodles

Last week I bought a head of cabbage to make cabbage soup. I was debating between this one with cabbage and lentils, a homemade minestrone or something new. By the time Thursday rolled around I was ready for a meal that didn’t consist of soup so I decided to do something completely different with the cabbage…

Make a tofu stir-fry and use the cabbage a noodle substitute. Veggies noodles are all the rage right now — if you’ve been on Pinterest in the last year or heard of spiralizing, you’ll know what exactly I’m talking about.

See how noodle-like the cabbage is?

I love veggie noodles and my spiralizer! For cabbage noodles you can use a spiralizer if you have one (here’s a video showing how) but you can also use a knife. Here’s how:

1. Take your head of cabbage and remove outer leaves.
2. Using a sharp knife (a serrated knife works best), cut off the core from the bottom and then cut the cabbage head in half.
3. Place each cabbage half cut-side-down and start making thin slices lengthwise. This will give you thin strips of cabbage — aka noodles. 🙂
4. You’ll likely end up with some pieces that look more like chunks than noodles. Simply chop them up and use as a topping for salad or in another recipe.

Cabbage noodles (and all other veggie noodles) are awesome! They’re packed with vitamins and minerals, low in calories and overall a more nutrient dense choice than regular ol’ pasta. I also like that they’re a little crunchy so they add some texture as well.

I love love love cabbage so naturally this cabbage noodle bowl is a winner in my book.  The sautéed cabbage gives the dish a caramelized sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with the Asian style sauce.  The extra veggies bring a pop of color to an otherwise monochromatic dish and the walnuts add a nutty, crunchy component.

And of course, you can totally sriracha it up to add a little spice before digging in. That’s what I did!

I honestly didn’t plan on posting this recipe. I was really just fooling around in the kitchen one night for dinner, but it turned out to be delicious (and I had a bunch of requests after sharing it on Instagram) so here it is.

The dish comes together really quickly once you have all the veggies chopped and you only use one skillet so clean up is a breeze.  I hope you like it. 🙂

Tofu Veggie Noodle Bowl with Cabbage Noodles

• Author: Brittany Mullins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 3

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Description

This flavorful cabbage noodle bowl is a healthy weeknight meal option. It’s quick, easy, packed with veggies and also vegan and gluten-free. Adapted from the NY Times.

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed and drained
• ½ cup vegetable stock
• 1 Tablespoon low sodium tamari
• ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 ½ Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 Tablespoons minced garlic (2-3 large cloves)
• 1-2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped into bite-size florets
• 1 medium cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1/2 pound, 5 cups chopped)
• 1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
• ¼ cup roughly chopped walnuts
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Cut the tofu into small cubes.
2. In a small bowl combine the vegetable stock, tamari, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Set aside.
3. Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Once melted, add the tofu and stir-fry until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining coconut oil into the same skillet. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the bell pepper, carrot and broccoli and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until they begin to soften. Then add the cabbage. Stir-fry for 1 minute, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Return the tofu to the skillet, stir in the walnuts and the stock/soy sauce mixture and stir-fry for another minute, until it has just about evaporated. It’s okay if there’s still a little liquid in the pan. Remove from the heat and serve.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/3 of recipes
• Calories: 344
• Sugar: 12g
• Fat: 21g
• Carbohydrates: 26g
• Fiber: 9g
• Protein: 17g

If you happen to try this tofu veggie noodle bowl or the cabbage noodles, please let me know in the comment section or share a photo via social media. Just don’t forget to tag me (@eatingbirdfood) so that I see it. <3

Have you tried using veggies as a substitute for pasta before? What did you think?