I’d never eaten Pad Thai until I started eating a vegan diet. I had never even heard of it – can you believe that?!
After so many different recipes on so many different blogs, I thought I’d give it a try myself.
That was 6 months ago, and this is the vegan Pad Thai recipe I seem to make the most. It’s just so easy, so delicious and so – SO – filling!
If you like your veggies to be a bit crunchy, don’t let them cook as long. If you don’t like cilantro, add parsley (that’s what I did). If you don’t have red peppers, use orange or yellow. If you don’t… you get the idea. This dish is very versatile! One time I was out of rice noodles, so I just doubled the amount of spiralized zucchini – YUM!
All I know, is that if you love Pad Thai, this simple recipe is definitely a must-try (LOOK MOM! I RHYMED!).
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- ½ block super firm tofu, drained and chopped into cubes*
- 1 cup/8oz. rice noodles
- 1 medium head of broccoli, very small chopped florets
- 2 large zucchini, spiralized
- ½ small red pepper, sliced thin
- 1 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 4 green onions, chopped small
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup peanuts
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and cook your tofu until browned on all sides, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add your rice noodles and cook according to package directions.
- While your noodles are cooking, heat another tbsp of olive oil in the same large pan you used for the tofu. Then add in your broccoli, zucchini and red pepper. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two more. Drain the rice noodles and add to the pan of veggies. Add the tofu, as well, and toss everything together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until well combined. Pour all over the noodles, veggies and tofu.
- Divide between bowls, and top with peanuts, sesame seeds and chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve warm.
Update…It gets even more flavorful as it sits! Took a couple more bites as I put leftovers away…I have a feeling it will never even more delicious for lunch tomorrow!
Yummy. Ive had some super sweet pad thai dishes, this is less sweet and just has a really nice flavor. I feel like I could have added a little more of something to make it a bit bolder for me, not sure what though. It really is tasty. I’m not a broccoli fan so subbed carrots and extra pepper. I will definitely keep this recipe. Thank you!!