Looking for a new recipe to spice up your lunchtime routine? Look no further than this tasty and satisfying dish full of fiber and nutrients to fuel you through your day. With a mouthwatering sauce containing ingredients like miso, ginger, and tahini, say goodbye to flavorless meal prep and hello to an umami-packed healthy lunch recipe. Healthy fats and fiber from buckwheat and sesame ensure that your blood sugar won’t spike after this meal, giving you sustained energy to make it through your workday, and satisfying your hunger so you won’t feel the need to reach for a sugary drink or snack. This noodle bowl can be eaten cold or hot, making it super easy make ahead lunch to just grab from the fridge for a stress free and tasty meal on the go.
Soba noodles: a gluten free, nutrient dense food
Soba noodles are traditional Japanese noodles made either partially or wholly from buckwheat flour. If you’re looking for gluten free soba noodles, make sure you buy the kind that are 100% buckwheat. Buckwheat is actually gluten free, despite having wheat in its name, but soba noodles are often made from a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour so make sure to check the ingredients before you make your purchase.
Buckwheat is a whole grain that’s high in fiber, which feeds the gut and keeps the digestive system moving regularly, as well as helping to eliminate harmful cholesterol from the body. Buckwheat is naturally cholesterol free and when combined with tahini, these two heart-healthy ingredients can help to lower cholesterol due to the presence of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in sesame. It also has a good amount of protein, so you’ll get a dose of essential amino acids from these noodles. Buckwheat is also particularly rich in minerals, unlike some other grains like corn, rice, and wheat. It contains magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, and phosphorus all of which are essential nutrients for the body. These nutrients are also well absorbed, because buckwheat is low in the compound phytic acid, which is found in other grains and seeds and tends to prevent absorption of minerals.
Stabilizing blood sugar through combining different foods
Pairing carbohydrates like soba noodles with healthy fats has been shown to lessen blood sugar spikes after a meal. The combination of fat with carbohydrates, and also the fiber present in the buckwheat noodles, slows digestion and therefore slows the release of digested sugar into the bloodstream. All carbohydrates are converted into sugar once digested, however the combination of carbohydrates with fat, protein, and fiber, greatly changes how sugar is released into the bloodstream and thus how the body’s metabolism is affected. This is why you may notice a big difference in how you feel after consuming a sugary drink vs. eating brown rice with beans. Buckwheat is already a complex carbohydrate, meaning it’s digested slower than something like white rice, which is a simple carbohydrate, and therefore buckwheat has a lower impact on blood sugar after a meal. The combination of soba noodles with tahini sauce, a healthy source of fats, increases this effect and helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, as well as providing a sense of fullness. It’s important to feel satiated after a meal, otherwise it can be easy to reach for an unhealthy snack or dessert to meet that hunger. Listening to your body and understanding its cues is crucial and a great part of mindful eating.
Let's Make the Recipe!
Healthy Soba Noodle Bowl Recipe
What You'll Need:
Sauce:
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 Tbsp miso paste (we like this chickpea miso because it's soy free)
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 1 Tbsp finely grated/minced ginger
- 2 Tbsps warm water
- 1 tsp ume plum vinegar, or rice vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp honey
Bowl:
- 8oz gluten free buckwheat noodles
- 1 large head broccoli cut into florets
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 small carrots shredded/grated
- 2 green onions chopped
- Few sprigs cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado sliced
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Amp up the protein: Add cooked tofu, tempeh or any nuts and seeds you'd like.
How to Make it:
- Roast the broccoli - Toss broccoli in oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400F for 18mins or until crispy and cooked through.
- Boil the noodles - Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Do not salt the cooking water. Once the noodles are cooked, drain and rinse to prevent sticking.
- Make the sauce - Combine tahini, miso paste, lemon juice, ginger, water, vinegar, salt, and honey together in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth and incorporated.
- Combine and plate - Add the noodles, carrots, broccoli, onion, and cilantro to a large bowl with the sauce and toss to combine. Serve with sliced avocado and garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.
This recipe makes 4 servings.
With soba noodles and this flavorful sauce as your base, this recipe is easily customizable. Swap cauliflower or zucchini for broccoli to change up the flavors and textures while still getting the fiber and nutrients you need. You could even change the cilantro for mint or thai basil to get a slightly different taste. However you choose to make this dish, we’re sure you’ll enjoy the satisfaction it brings to your weekly lunches (or dinners)!
About Author: Stephanie is the current fulfillment director and kitchen supervisor for Organic Pharmer. She studied Neuroscience at University of California, Irvine before studying Naturopathic Medicine for 2 years at National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. She also spent 3 years studying East Asian Medicine at the same university.