Linguini with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce

There are a million and 10 recipes for peanut butter noodles on the internet (I know, I counted). I'm not claiming this one is my favorite, but it did hit the spot recently when I couldn't figure out what I wanted for dinner. It's vaguely reminiscent of Pad See-Ew with the whole wheat noodles, soy sauce, broccoli, and egg but it's sweeter and doesn't employ dark soy sauce. Instead, it uses a variety of ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. I always love recipes that don't make me buy new spices that I'm not sure I'll use again (it's one of the reasons you haven't seen anything made with 5 spice powder or all spice - I'm not sure how often I'd use either and am still on the fence about making such a commitment). 

As I've told you before, I'm a weird breakfast person so bear with me when I tell you these are awesome cold and early in the morning. Give it a try! Not every day has to be a smoothie or pancakes kind of morning. Or you can always eat them cold when all the microwaves at work are busy and you're too impatient to wait another minute for tasty tasty noodles. Not that I have experience with that kind of behavior...

Linguini with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce

Barely adapted from Will Cook for Friends 

As you can see in the photos, things get a bit crazy on the stove for a while. Don’t fret – it’s only frantic for a minute or so, but those with better time management than me will probably avoid that problem entirely. The hardest part for me was deciding what order to make the recipe. I think the best is: start pasta water, start sauce, add pasta, make broccoli, strain pasta and add to broccoli, add sauce.  Good luck!

Ingredients

Pasta

1/4 box linguini (I used whole wheat)

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 -2 small cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon peanut oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Sauce:

1/4 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth both work fine)

1/4 cup hot water

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Salt

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon sriarcha

Optional: chopped peanuts and scallions, for garnish

Equipment

Small pot, medium pan, medium pot, colander

In medium pot, bring water to boil and salt well. Cook noodles according to instructions, drain, and set aside.

In the small pot, add peanut butter and half the hot water over medium-low heat and stir to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Add remaining water slowly until the sauce has reached your preferred consistency.

In medium pan, add peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat until glistening. Add egg and cook for about a minute. Add broccoli florets and let cook 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ginger, and soy sauce and stir until mostly evaporate. Remove broccoli from pan while still green and slightly crisp and set aside.

  

Toss the noodles and broccoli in the sauce and garnish with peanut and scallions if desired.

Serves 2