Rainbow Vegetable Pad Thai
This easy vegetarian and vegan pad Thai recipe is loaded with colorful vegetables like broccoli, bell pepper, and edamame, and coated with a delicious homemade pad Thai sauce. This easy veggie pad Thai is simple enough for a weeknight dinner and a great way to use up extra veggies.
Pad Thai has been a regular on our weeknight dinner table for years. My kids love noodles, and pad Thai is a great flavor switch up from Italian noodle dinners. I first learned how to make vegan pad Thai years ago from Chef Chloe (Amazon affiliate link). Since then I’ve been making it without a recipe. The method for making this pad Thai is easy enough that you can create your own spin. And that’s the kind of recipe I love! I love to toss in whatever veggies I happen to have around. This week I used some of my favorite colorful veggies to make this a “rainbow” inspired pad Thai. Later in the summer zucchini would be fantastic and I also love adding bean sprouts, though I didn’t have any this time.
Pad Thai is slightly sweet, slightly tangy from lime and soy sauce, and super comforting, as most noodle dishes are. This recipe is mild enough for kids, but you can spice it up by adding dried chili flakes, ginger, and/or a squirt of sriracha.
Where do I find pad Thai noodles?
Pad Thai noodles are simply rice noodles, making this recipe great for my gluten-free friends. Just be sure to use gf soy sauce. Pad Thai noodles are easy to find. Just look in the Asian section of your grocery store. There are a couple of different ways people like to prepare pad Thai noodles. One is to soak the noodles in hot water for 10 minutes and then stir fry. In this recipe I boil the noodles like Italian pasta and add to the sauteed veggies, because that’s how I learned to make pad Thai.
While I love getting vegetarian pad Thai out at restaurants, they can sometimes be overly greasy and sweet. Homemade pad Thai is so simple it can easily be worked into the weekday dinner rotation. It basically comes down to a quick sweet umami sauce, rice noodles, and veggies. Roasted peanuts add a lot of crunch and flavor, so don’t skip them. Though you do get protein from the rice noodles, edamame, and other veggies, feel free to add another protein on top or on the side. I often bake cubes of tofu with this meal.
Homemade veggie pad Thai is so much better than take out. I hope you enjoy this colorful recipe!
Vegan Rainbow Veggie Pad Thai
This easy vegetarian and vegan pad Thai recipe is loaded with colorful vegetables like broccoli, bell pepper, and edamame and coated with a delicious homemade pad Thai sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or liquid aminos (gluten free if needed)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (optional)
- 2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 1/2 small head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 cup broccolini or broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup edamame
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs (cilantro, Thai basil, or sliced green onions)
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts or cashews
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
- 6 oz. pad Thai noodles
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, sriracha, and ginger. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, taking care not to burn. Add the cabbage, broccoli, and bell pepper. Saute 3 minutes until just starting to soften. Add the carrots and saute until vegetables are tender-crisp. Remove from heat and stir in the edamame.
- While the veggies cook, cook the noodles according to package instructions.
- Drain the noodles well and immediately add to the veggies. Pour the sauce over and toss to combine. Set over high heat to stir fry for just a minute.
- Serve with fresh nuts, fresh herbs, lime and more sriracha.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 1018mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 6gSugar: 16gProtein: 13g