Let’s talk about broccoli for a moment.
I really like broccoli. Heck, I might even love broccoli.
I like it raw, grilled, or steamed. Even frozen broccoli is a hero in my book (honestly, frozen vegetables are great—I grew up on a lot of frozen veggies, so no shade from me for those guys—you could even sub frozen broccoli in this recipe if you really wanted).
I very much like my broccoli grilled— charred to the edge of being burnt.
This particular recipe below isn’t for grilled broccoli, however. Sorry! We’ll grill broccoli another day.
Today, we’re using the entire broccoli, stem and all. We cook the stems in this recipe because I don’t like to waste those guys. Broccoli stems are full of nutrients and even contain most of the fiber that broccoli is known for. So don’t ditch the stems!
Yes, broccoli stems can be tough and fibrous, but you can peel them and thinly slice them and use them for salad or stir fries… or whatever! Sometimes I don’t even peel them tbh (like in this recipe) since they’re getting cooked anyway.
But also! Peanut butter sauce!!!
This sauce is very pantry friendly and simple. 3 ingredients, plus water…you can’t beat that.
I like to use ramen noodles here but you can really use any noodle that your little heart desires.
Wow ok, I gotta be honest…I am a teeny tiny little bit hungover this morning (Sicily) and having a hard time writing and meant to write this earlier in the week but I didn’t and now here we are.
I gotta go lay on my couch for a bit.
Make this recipe. You’re going to love it! I promise!
Bye.
Peanut Butter and Broccoli Noodles
Servings: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup|60 grams creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 (4.2-ounce|120-gram) package ramen noodles
12 ounces|340 grams broccoli
2 tablespoons neutral oil
½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup|40 grams roughly chopped and toasted peanuts, plus more to garnish
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more to garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, and 3 tablespoons water until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and cook the noodles until just soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cut the florets from the broccoli. I like to make them around 1 to 2 inch pieces. Trim the broccoli stem, then dice it into ½-inch pieces.
Heat the oil in a large wok over medium-high. Add the broccoli stems and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes, then add the onion. Cook until the onion is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and cook until the florets begin to get some color on them, about 3 minutes more. Pour in the reserved peanut sauce and the noodles and toss to combine. Sprinkle in the peanuts and sesame seeds and toss again. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with more peanuts and sesame seeds.
Broccoli is definitely one of those foods that I didn't like as a child because it was mostly boiled to death. Now I have found the perfect way to cook it -- just use this recipe! The sauce is killer, thanks for sharing! I did sub out the ramen noodles for shirataki noodles (diabetic) but found it really didn't detract from the deliciousness of the dish.
Grilled broccoli is really a sleeper preparation.