Whether you're a fan of Asian-inspired dishes or simply love a good bowl of noodles, these Garlic Sesame Noodles are sure to become a staple in your kitchen. They're savory, salty and sweet and so easy to make. You can stir in shredded zucchini, peas, bean sprouts, tofu or cooked chicken too. This is the best Asian noodle recipe.
After a month of guests here at the Jersey shore, I've neglected sharing new recipes for you to try. It's time to remedy that!
Recent meals at our house have included summertime favorite recipes of Avocado, Corn and Cucumber Salad and Dill Pickle Potato Salad. And I've added a tasty side dish of Garlic Sesame Noodles to our entertaining menu. This latest dish is getting lots of love and one of our new favorite pasta recipes.
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Why you'll love this sesame noodle recipe
- Quick and easy ~ With just a few ingredients and a short list of directions, this delicious recipe is a breeze to make.
- One pot recipe ~ Clean up is kept to a minimum as the entire dish is made in just one pot on the stove top. I like using my dutch oven for this recipe.
- Delicious ~ This Asian inspired dish has the perfect combination of savory, sweet and salty flavors. It delicious served hot or at room temperature.
- Versatile ~ On its own Garlic Sesame Noodles are a flavorful dish. But stir in almost any vegetable or protein to make this side dish an amazing and filling main dish for a quick dinner.
Ingredients & substitutions
Pantry ingredients along with a handful of fresh ingredients are included in this easy recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for full quantities of the ingredients.
- Noodles ~ My preferred kind of noodles and the most traditional ones to use in this recipe are spaghetti or thin linguine. Rice noodles or soba noodles are also options.
- Oyster sauce ~ A thick, smooth and mildly salty and briny sauce that adds the authentic Asian flavor to this noodle dish.
- Reduced sodium soy sauce ~ I prefer a low sodium soy sauce so I can control the amount of salt in the dish.
- Light brown sugar ~ Dark brown sugar is an alternative.
- Toasted sesame oil ~ Opt for the oil made from toasted sesame seeds. It packs a much more potent punch of flavor than regular sesame oil.
- Salted butter ~ Use unsalted butter if that's your preference.
- Green onions ~ Also know as scallions, they're a key ingredient in this dish.
- Fresh garlic cloves ~ Fresh is best when is comes to the garlic in this noodle recipe.
- Shredded carrots ~ Either purchase shredded carrots or shred your own.
- Tuxedo sesame seeds ~ A combination of black and white sesame seeds adds a nutty crunch to the dish. Either all black or all white sesame seeds are alternatives.
- Freshly ground black pepper ~ Grinding your own pepper from peppercorns results in the most flavorful spice.
How to make this easy Asian noodle recipe
With just a few steps, these sesame garlic noodles are so easy to make. This is a brief overview of the recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for full instructions.
Step 1: Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Set aside 1 cup of the noodle cooking liquid. Drain and set aside the noodles.
Step 2: Along with the oyster sauce, combine the remaining sauce ingredients of low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar and toasted sesame oil. Set aside.
Step 3: Quickly sauté the green onions and minced garlic in butter.
Step 4: Add the drained noodles and sauce mixture. Toss to combine.
Step 5: Add the shredded carrots and sesame seeds and toss to combine. If the noodles are sticky and hard to stir, add some of the reserved noodle water and stir.
Step 6: Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with thinly sliced green onion and sesame seeds.
Expert tips
- Prep all the ingredients before you start cooking. This dish comes together very quickly. Having all the ingredients ready to go makes the cooking process go smoothly. I like this set of stacking glass bowls for my prepped ingredients.
- Save some of the noodle cooking water. Before draining the noodles, save some of the starchy water. Add it to the noodles if they're sticky or hard to stir after adding the sauce mixture, carrots and sesame seeds.
- Don't rinse the noodles after they are cooked. Not only does rinsing stop the cooking process, it also removes the starch water from the drained noodles which is what helps adhere the sauce to the noodles.
Variations
Try some of the following variations to make this recipe your own.
- Spicy ~ Add red pepper flakes, sriracha or garlic chili sauce to up the spiciness of the dish.
- Vegetables ~ Stir in extra veggies such as shredded zucchini, green peas, bean sprouts, steamed broccoli florets or green beans, shredded cabbage and/or water chestnuts.
- Protein ~ To sesame noodles add cooked and shredded chicken, bite sized pieces of grilled steak, cooked shrimp, cooked and flaked salmon, seasoned cubes of tofu, slices of hard boiled eggs or cooked ground beef, turkey or pork.
Frequently asked questions
Any type of long noodle is ideal for this recipe. Try thin linguine, spaghetti or even ramen noodles. Fresh noodles are also an option. No matter what type of noodle you use, cook them according to the package instructions.
These Asian noodles are the best and most flavorful when served hot or at room temperature.
Store the noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don't recommend freezing the noodles. These are the meal prep containers that I use for my personal chef clients and at home.
Transfer noodles to a microwave safe dish and cover lightly with a paper towel or plastic wrap. Microwave at 60 percent power for 1 minute. Continue heating at 30 second intervals until heated through.
What to serve with sesame noodles
More noodle recipes
If you make this garlic sesame noodle recipe, be sure to give it a rating and/or comment below. Take a photo and tag @amycaseycooks on Instagram. Thank you!
Recipe
One Pot Garlic Sesame Noodles
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Whether you're a fan of Asian-inspired dishes or simply love a good bowl of noodles, these Garlic Sesame Noodles are sure to become a staple in your kitchen. They're savory, salty and sweet and so easy to make.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces thin linguine or spaghetti
- 7 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon tuxedo sesame seeds
- fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the noodles: Place a dutch oven or large stock pot filled with water over high heat. Add a lid and bring to a boil. Generously salt the water. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Save about 1 cup of the noodle water. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Mix the sauce: While the noodles cook, combine the oyster sauce, reduced sodium soy sauce, light brown sugar and toasted sesame oil. Set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: In the same dutch oven used to cook the noodles, add the salted butter and melt over medium heat. Add the green onions and garlic and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the noodles and sauce: Turn off the heat. Add the cooked noodles and the sauce mixture. Stir or toss to combine the sauteed vegetables, noodles and sauce.
- Add the carrots and sesame seeds: Add the carrots and sesame seeds and stir or toss to combine. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
- Add noodle water if necessary: If the noodles are sticky or hard to stir, add about ½ cup of the noodle water and stir to loosen them up.
- Serve: Transfer the noodles to a serving bowl and sprinkle with more thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
Prep all the ingredients before you start cooking. This dish comes together very quickly. Having all the ingredients ready to go makes the cooking process go smoothly.
Save some of the noodle cooking water. Before draining the noodles, save some of the starchy water. Add some to the noodles if they're sticky or hard to stir after adding the sauce mixture, carrots and sesame seeds.
Don't rinse the noodles after they are cooked. Not only does rinsing stop the cooking process, it also removes the starch water from the drained noodles which is what helps adhere sauce to noodles.
Nutritional information is an estimate and based on the ingredients and cooking methods used in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: cook on stove top
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ of the recipe
- Calories: 349
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 474 mg
- Fat: 11.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.9 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
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