Soy Sauce Noodles

This recipe from Love and Olive Oil became an instant favorite for us during our mostly meatless Lent. It's packed with flavor and reminds of us our favorite dishes from Noodles & Company. It requires slightly more time than one of our other favorite noodle dishes, but both are easy enough for a weeknight after work.

Here's the recipe with the tweaks we made with additional vegetables. We added the cabbage once, but we really liked the addition. Also, I doubled the recipe below to make it a filling vegetarian meal for two.

Soy Sauce Noodles
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tsp. tamari soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. peanut oil, divided
3 ounces thin spaghetti noodles
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, sliced into matchsticks, white/light green and darker green parts separated
2 large carrots, thinly sliced into matchsticks or ribbons
1/2 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
3 oz. bean sprouts

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, dark soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, sugar and sriracha. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles, and cook to al dente. Drain, and set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1/2 Tbsp. peanut oil over medium-high until it shimmers. Add noodles, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, without stirring, until bottoms are slightly browned. Flip over as best you can, and cook for another 2 minutes. Slide noodles onto a plate, and set aside temporarily.

Return skillet to medium-high heat with remaining 1/2 Tbsp. oil. Add garlic along with white and light green parts of green onion, carrots and cabbage. Cook until vegetables are desired texture, and return noodles to skillet along with soy sauce mixture. Toss well with a pair of tongs or chopsticks, breaking up clumps of noodles as you go, until noodles are entirely coated, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add dark green parts of green onion, and cook for 1 minute more or until  just softened.

Remove from heat, and divide among bowls. Top with sprouts, and serve immediately. Makes 2 side servings as written, so double for a full meal.