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Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
updated Jan 29, 2020
summer
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This summer sauté served over rice noodles is everything you'll crave in a cold noodle bowl.
Serves4 to 6reviews
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There are two summer supper situations where you’ll want to know this summer-sauté-meets-noodle-bowl method by heart. The first are those muggy evenings where after a long day outside you’re ravenous, but the idea of chopping anything seems arduous. It’s too hot to cook, you think, but you’ve also got a fridge full of vegetables and an empty belly. You could probably muster up cooking, as long as you didn’t have to chop anything.
Likewise, you may find yourself in a friend’s summer cabin or in a high-traffic vacation rental in which the knives have all but disappeared. There’s a paring knife with a broken handle that you’d rather not use, but there is a decent peeler. That means you can pull off this hat-trick of a summer supper in that situation as well.
This summer sauté served over rice noodles is everything you’ll crave in a cold noodle bowl: vegetables quickly cooked with plenty of bite left in them and one of the best soy vinaigrettes I know.
Here’s the summer sauté that doesn’t require a knife, only requires a teensy bit of cooking, and has enough variables that you can make it over and over again all summer long.
How to Prep Summer Vegetables Without a Knife
You won’t be using a knife at all for this recipe. Instead, you’ll use the power of a peeler, the rasp of a grater, and the strength of your two hands to tear up a selection of summer vegetables and herbs. This technique won’t work for every summer vegetable, of course, but feel free to swap the cabbage here for tender kale or rainbow chard — as long as you can tear it into bite-sized pieces.
Situational Summer Suppers
We’ve been there and we know you’re going to be there too: a fridge full of summer produce just waiting for the perfect cooking situation. Whether you’re heading out the door for a road trip, avoiding the stove during a heatwave, or having friends over on short notice, these simple, thoughtful meals have been designed to help you — and your cooking — thrive this summer.
No-Chop Cold Veggie Noodle Bowls With Soy Lime Vinaigrette
This summer sauté served over rice noodles is everything you'll crave in a cold noodle bowl.
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons
olive oil
- 2 tablespoons
tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 lime)
- 2 teaspoons
honey
- 2 teaspoons
Asian sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon
sambal oelek or Asian chile-garlic paste
- 1 clove
garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon
grated peeled fresh ginger
For the salad:
- 2 cups
water
- 4 ounces
dried, thin rice noodles
- 6
Napa cabbage leaves
- 1
large carrot, peeled
- 1
medium zucchini
- 1 teaspoon
olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 6
fresh mint leaves
- 6
fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup
fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup
salted peanuts, crushed
Instructions
Make the vinaigrette: Place all the ingredients in a pint jar. Seal the jar and shake to emulsify the dressing; set aside.
Make the salad: Bring the water to a boil (an electric kettle is especially handy for this) in a small saucepan. Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with the boiling water. Cover the bowl and set aside until the noodles are tender, about 6 minutes total, tossing after 3 minutes if all of the noodles are not initially submerged in the water. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad.
Tear the cabbage into bite-sized pieces; set aside. Use a vegetables peeler to peel large ribbons of the carrot and zucchini, making sure to avoid the seedy core of the zucchini.
Heat the oil a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carrot and sauté for 1 minute. Add the cabbage and zucchini, season with the salt, and sauté for 1 minute more. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. Tear the mint, basil, and cilantro into bite-sized pieces and add to the rest of the vegetables.
Check the noodles for doneness — they should be tender and limp (if they are not ready, let them sit longer in the water). Drain the noodles and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.
Add the noodles to the vegetables and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss to evenly coat. Top with the peanuts and serve.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The dressing can be made and stored for up to 5 days in advance.
Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Filed in:
asian
Dairy-Free
easy
Gluten-Free
greens
Lunch
