Sunbutter acts as a great replacement for peanut in this quick noodle stirfry. Quick, easy, and oh-so good!
This recipe is by far one of the quickest to pull together. Not only does it use up little bits of leftovers in your fridge, but it’s quick to prepare and it tastes great.
As part of our Pantry Challenge, I’m spending more time in the kitchen than I normally do, trying to make sense of the random bits we have about. Yesterday’s lunch was just that.
I had a few large handfuls of leftover spaghetti. It was half and half whole wheat and white pasta. The fam didn’t really go for the half and half. But, I realized that night that it needed stronger flavors to combat that wheatiness. It reminded me of buckwheat noodles I’d bought in the past for an Asian dish. So that was the direction we went.
And it was lovely, very much like the Peanut Butter Chicken that inspired it.
Peanut butter, or even almond, would be a lovely, more economical substitute for the sunbutter. This one, however, is for those with nut allergies, like my daughter, so I used sunflower seed butter. A little soy sauce, a splash of Nakano natural rice vinegar, and the juice of one lime add plenty of flavor and moisture to make this a delightfully light lunch or summer supper.
- 2 tbsp nut butter or seed butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 lb spaghetti cooked and drained
- 1 cup carrots (shredded)
- 1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 2 green onion chopped
- In a small bowl, whisk together the nut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Whisk in oils. Set aside.
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted, boiling water, according to package directions. Rinse and drain.
- Transfer the noodles to a large serving bowl. Add the sauce, carrots, water chestnuts, cilantro, and scallions.
- Serve hot or cold.
Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1/6 the recipe.
Sandi says
At first, I thought it was celery stalks in the photo, and I’m thinking they would blend in with no problem. I just made wheat spaghetti yesterday for something, and have half the package left over. I actually have all these ingredients (minus sunbutter but have both peanut and almond) so I might give this a try for lunch tomorrow. Thanks.
Sandi says
@Sandi,
The celery did fit in with no problem, but I’m wondering if sunbutter is more liquidy than peanut butter? It was tasty, but really dry. 🙁 I did pull it off the heat while mixing the noodles in so it shouldn’t have been overcooked.
Jessica says
@Sandi, yes, you’re right. Sunbutter is more like natural peanut butter than the conventional kind. It’s fairly thin. Good point.
Helen says
Thanks! This sounds really great. My son is also allergic to peanuts, so we have a ton of sunbutter around the house. Perfect meal.
Jessica says
@Helen, where are you finding the best deal on sunbutter?
Helen says
I actually did a Sub & Save on Amazon on the red lid of the Sunbutter brand – so we now have 6 jars. Otherwise I just pick up a jar of the yellow lid at Target for $4ish? I sometimes even have a $1 coupon.
Jessica says
@Helen, it’s more $ at my Target, but that’s about the price I pay for Trader Joe’s. I need to find a good stockup deal.
Helen says
@Jessica, Just checked my Amazon – it was $21.76 for the 6 jars, so really good for us.
claire says
This sounds & looks really good. I usuall freeze my leftover pasta. I can thaw it & make this yummy dish for myself. No one else would try it. Can’t wait!
MonicaB says
Thanks for the great peanut free recipe.
We get our Sunbutter from peanutfreeplanet.com The 5lb tub is $20.99
Janel says
We must share brainwaves or something. Just the other night I was thinking of FishChick’s nut allergy and wondered if you had ever tried substituting the nut butter for peanut butter in your noodles. Looks yummy!
Jessica says
@Janel, I’ve been meaning to try it for two years, but never have. This recipe is different, but I’m sure PB Chicken would work with sunbutter.
Kristi says
Your noodles look yummy! My daughter is doing a home ec course this summer (we homeschool) and she has to put together her own cookbook. She was looking on Life as Mom for one of your recipes that we make. Later she told me that she found this great source for recipes. It’s called “Good Cheap Eats!”
Jessica says
@Kristi, hehe. Did you tell her we are one and the same? 😉
Kristi says
@Jessica, I did! She knows “Life As Mom” recipes well. I guess I’d not mentioned “Good Cheap Eats.”
Nancy says
Thanks for the post. I made it tonight with peanut butter and added cauliflower and brocoli from my CSA.
Krissa says
This looks good…and always a bonus when it’s quick and easy to make. Can’t wait to try it.
Dena says
This was really good. I forgot to add the cilantro. My children may like it better this way anyway and we used peanut. It was dry. I used one package of spaghetti and did like 4-5 times the sauce and the flavor was good.
Jessica Fisher says
Nut butters can definitely differ in their consistencies. Glad you enjoyed it.