Peanut Pasta

plate of pasta with peanut sauce, carrots, peppers, peanuts and green onion

5 from 2 votes

You can make this Peanut Pasta Recipe in 20 minutes! You'll love this creamy pasta dish made with peanut butter, sunflower seeds and soy sauce.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Servings:

Calories: 529kcal

Author: Mamma C

Ingredients

Veggies

1 large carrot
3 green onions
1 red bell pepper (can use yellow, orange or green)

Pasta

1 pound spaghetti (or linguine, fettuccine or soba noodles)
½ cup reserved cooking water (1 standard ladle)
4 tablespoons salted butter

Peanut Sauce

4.5 ounces peanut butter (½ cup + 1 Tbs. See notes.)
¼ cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce (See notes.)
3 Tablespoons white vinegar (or rice vinegar)
¼ cup hot water
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
5 sprinkles ground ginger

Instructions

Place a pasta pot filled ⅔ full with hot, salted water on the stove to boil, covered.
Rinse and peel the carrot with a vegetable peeler. Shred the carrot in a food processor or using the holes of a grater.
Rinse three green onions and trim off the root ends and any wilted green parts. Use scissors or a knife to cut the onions into small pieces.
Rinse and dry the bell pepper. Cut out the stem. Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds and membranes. Dice the peppers.
When the water is boiling, add the pasta to the pot and give it a stir. Prepare the sauce while you occasionally stir the pasta so it doesn't stick.
In a food processor or blender, add all of the sauce ingredients. Process or blend until it's smooth or just has tiny flecks of sunflower seeds. If it seems too thick, you can add a little pasta cooking water to the sauce until it's the consistency you prefer.
When the pasta is almost done, scoop out ½ cup of cooking water from the pasta pot and set it aside in a bowl. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, tasting it three minutes before the time listed on the package to see if it is done. When it is cooked, drain the pasta in a colander in the sink.
Transfer the pasta back to the pot and stir in the butter and reserved pasta water. Stir in the vegetables, reserving some for garnishing each serving, if you wish. Keep the sauce separate. (See notes.)
To serve, plate the pasta and stir some peanut sauce into each portion. Garnish with reserved veggies and onions, if you wish.
Store leftover pasta and sauce separately, covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. (See notes.)

Notes

If you only have regular soy sauce, you'll need to reduce the sodium elsewhere so you don't have a salty dish. You can eliminate the salt in the pasta water or use unsalted butter for the pasta. Or, use unsalted sunflower seeds.

To prevent the peanut pasta from becoming dry, keep the sauce separate and just stir some into each serving of pasta.

To Reheat:

You can use the stove or microwave to reheat peanut pasta. For the stove method, add the pasta and some peanut butter sauce to a skillet with a splash of water or soy sauce. Stir over medium-low heat until warmed and combined.

For the microwave, add some peanut sauce to a portion of pasta in a microwave-safe bowl with a teaspoon of water or soy sauce. Cover lightly with wax paper and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each session.

To Freeze the Sauce

Freeze the sauce in small portions in an ice cube tray, zip-top freezer bags or sealed containers. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or heat it in the microwave and stir before using it.

Nutrition