The preparation for Spinach and Cashew Noodles seems complicated, but the individual steps are simple and worth the effort when you end up with a bowl full of noodles begging to be picked up with chopsticks.
I came across this week’s Meatless Monday meal of Spinach and Cashew Noodles at Vegan Food Lovers on Instagram and used it as a starting point for my version. It’s still a work in process. I used rice vermicelli, but if you’d rather use a different type of noodle, that’s fine. I’ve used angel hair for quite a few noodle dishes with great result.
The advantage of rice vermicelli is that it only takes a few minutes in hot water and they’re ready. To make this, I put some water on to boil in my kettle while I pan roasted the cashews with sugar and chili powder. The noodles soaked while the spinach and onions were sauteed in some oil flavored with red pepper flake and freshly grated ginger.
Once the spinach was ready it was a matter of assembling everything in the bowl and digging in.
Ingredients
- 2 servings rice vermicelli prepared according to the package
- 2 small handfuls of cashews
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons cane or light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 large handfuls of spinach
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- pinch red pepper flake
- 1 - 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- juice of 1 lime plus more for the table
- 2 teaspoon soy or tamari sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set the water to boiling for the noodles while you prepare the cashews and spinach.
- Have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go before you begin cooking.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, stir the chili powder and sugar into the olive oil and toss the cashews to coat. Heat through taking care not to burn.
- Remove the cashews from the heat.
- Place the rice vermicelli into a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to sit while you cook the spinach.
- In a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic and ginger in the sesame oil until softened. Add more oil or water as needed to prevent sticking.
- Stir in the red pepper flake and wilt the spinach in the hot pan (in batches as necessary)
- When the spinach is wilted, stir in the lime juice and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
- To serve, drain the noodles and split them between two bowls. Arrange the spinach on top and garnish with the cashews.
I have to admit Rick wasn’t tempted by this dish, but I enjoyed it especially the sweet and spicy cashews and the flavor of the soy and lime juice. His complaint was the noodles needed some sauce, and he has a point. A little of the fish sauce and rice vinegar dressing served in Vietnamese restaurants would have made a big difference. Next time I’ll make sure to have some on hand. I’ll add a few more veggies too…like pickled carrots, bean sprouts and fresh basil.
I’ve never tried it but it looks delicious and tasty, Im sure my hubby would love it
Give it a try, I’m sure you both will love it 🙂
This looks delicious! I love noodle everything and this dish seems just a bit healthier than some. I love the cashews being added in. I think I’m going to try this in my weekly meal rotation next week and see what the fam thinks! Thank you for sharing!
I hope your family likes it! Thanks 🙂
Totally trying it! Your recipe has two of my favorite ingredients! Thank you for sharing it! Yummy!
That’s good to hear, Claudia 🙂 Please let me know how it turns out for you, I’d love to hear.
I really like the potential versatility in this dish, although it does look fantastic as is!
Nice to hear from you, Liz. Hope you’re enjoying your week 🙂
These sounds amazing! Some of my favorite flavors!
Definitely a lot to like 🙂
I don’t think I’ve had anything like this before, but it certainly looks delicious.
Thanks Samantha, I hope you’ll give it a try 🙂
That’s a great twist for two of my favorites. I’d give this one a try, gladly!
If you make it, please let me know how you like it 🙂
We love spinach at our house. I am definitely going to have to pin this for later. I will have to email you a picture when it is all said and done 🙂
That would be awesome if you do 🙂
I think both my husband and I would really enjoy this dish. The spinach and cashews sound like a great combination.
There’s a lot to like about it. The cashews are fantastic and you can build any type of sauce you like or keep it simple. Enjoy 🙂
I’ve heard of meatless Monday but not familiar with what it is. Either way I’d totally go for this! Vegan dishes can have amazing flavor.
If you go to MeatlessMonday.org you’ll find much more info.
These noodles sound really delicious!
The sweet and spicy cashews make the dish 🙂
I absolutely love the sound of this recipe. We (at least most of us) love spinach and cashews. The mix of flavors is amazing. I am pinning this!
Please let me know how you like it, Leslie 🙂 Thanks!
Oh doesn’t this look good! Thank you for sharing this!
So easy to make, too! Thanks for dropping by, Emily 🙂
Oh my yum! This looks delish! I’m a fan of both cashews and spinach so I think this is going to be added to our list soon. Thanks so much for sharing! You did a fantastic job with prep and presentation!
Thanks, Reese! I appreciate the kind words and hope you enjoy your version 🙂
What a really healthy and delicious recipe! I wish I could have some to warm me up right now!
You won’t have to fire up your thermomix to make it 😉
This looks so tasty and healthy too! I’m really excited to add it to our dinner menus. I have spinach every day so this is going on my list!
You’ll find this to be convenient to make if you already have spinach on hand.
I love how easy rice vermicelli is to use. I use it for many veggie stir fry dishes. I will try this very soon.
We use it a lot for wraps, and I love it for noodle bowls.
My family loves both cashews and spinach, so I bet this would be a great hit! I’ll have to give it a try!
Glad to hear your family likes spinach and cashews. My kids would have just as soon ditched the spinach 🙂