This super fast 15 Minute Vegan Veggie Lo Mein is the perfect meal when you need dinner ready in a flash but you still need it to be healthy and taste good. Simple & easy to find ingredients and it tastes just like takeout, you may just make this meal part of your weekly staples!
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Hey Internet, I didn't think I'd be here posting another Asian-inspired dish so soon, but life got in the way so I decided to share one of my favorite lazy vegan recipes with you! I think this actually works out nicely because next week we've got bigger plans, hehe. :)
So for today's recipe, we're throwing a bunch of veggies in a skillet, boiling some noodles, and combining it with a simple sauce and voile! Veggie Lo Mein that's a) just a good as takeout; b) a lot healthier; and c) a lot cheaper.
You might be saying "Hmm, Liz, those look an awful lot like spaghetti noodles--that's not authentic…" Well, sure, if they were spaghetti noodles that wouldn't be authentic but you know what, it tastes pretty dang good and sometimes you just can't find what you need and you have to make do.
So if you have to use plain old spaghetti, use that! I used whole wheat noodles, but you could sub anything, even gluten-free noodles.
What You'll Need
As mentioned above, you'll need noodles. You can use anything you like with this recipe.
I used whole wheat spaghetti, but anything would work, just cook it to the package instructions and drain it before adding the rest of the ingredients in. No one said you even had to use long noodles; use shells or elbows if you want!
For veggies I used what I commonly would find when I used to order lo mein: bell peppers, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, and snow peas! Any veggies would be good in this; if they're hardy like carrots just cut them small enough that they can cook in 15 minutes (I julienne sliced my carrots for this reason).
The sauce is pretty easy and customizable too. Mine is a bit of a lighter sauce than you'll find in the lo mein you order--but feel free to double up or adjust as you like--keep tasting and see!
I used: reduced sodium tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), coconut sugar, rice vinegar, tahini, and ginger (I used ground because it's what I could find).
What Substitutions Can I Make?
We already covered the noodles and the veggies, so I'll list some alternatives here for the sauce. You can also use my homemade teriyaki sauce or orange sauce.
Reduced Sodium Tamari
Tamari is just gluten-free soy sauce, so if you're not gluten-free you can use the cheaper stuff. If you don't want to eat soy, you could sub Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Coconut Aminos.
If you'd like to use the non-reduced sodium version you can, but just keep tasting while you make it to ensure it isn't too salty for you. Taste buds do differ.
Coconut Sugar
Any sugar should work, but I love coconut sugar for this. It has a brown sugar quality that meshes well with the flavors, and it's lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar.
Rice Vinegar
Rice vinegar lends itself well to Asian-inspired recipes like this one, but if you don't have it you could easily sub apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. The only one that wouldn't really work with the flavors here is balsamic vinegar.
Tahini
I love the sesame flavor of toasted sesame oil but I don't cook with oil so I subbed tahini. If you're cool with oil then by all means use that, but I didn't miss it when I switched this to tahini and it retains more of the fiber and nutrients of sesame seeds than its oil counterpart.
Ginger
Finally, I used ground ginger because I couldn't find any fresh ginger at the store. Either works--the fresh ginger has a better taste, but is a bit more work so it's your preference.
If you wanted, you could also just use a store bought sauce like hoisin or a bottled stir fry sauce (be careful as not all are vegan-friendly).
You could also experiment with adding other things, like peanut butter for a nutty flavor or sriracha for some heat!
How to Make 15 Minute Vegan Veggie Lo Mein
So the first thing we're going to do is the thing that takes the longest -- boil the pasta. Start a large pot of water onto boil, salt it if that's your thing, and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
While that's cooking, you can start stir frying your vegetables. Add the garlic to a nonstick pan that's bean heated for a minute or two over medium high heat.
If cooking without oil, add water a tablespoon at a time to keep the garlic from sticking. Stir fry for about a minute until fragrant.
Add in the carrots now and stir fry for about 5 minutes, then add the bell pepper and snow peas.
I like my peppers and snow peas to still have a light crunch, so I only cooked them for about 4-6 minutes and then I shut off the heat.
After your veggies are cooked to your liking, remove from heat and make the sauce in a bowl or measuring cup by whisking all the ingredients together.
When the pasta is drained, return it to the pot and add in the veggies (alternatively you can add the pasta directly to your veggies if your pan is big enough to toss everything well).
Stir the pasta and veggies (I use tongs for this) and then add the sauce and toss until combined. I do this in two steps so everything gets well combined.
That's it! Serve and eat!
Other Asian Inspired Recipes
If you like this recipe, I suggest you try some of my other Asian-inspired recipes!
Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Chinese Takeout Inspired Tofu "Beef" and Broccoli
Vegan Chicken Teriyaki with Oyster Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts
More coming soon--any requests? Email me or ask me on social media! You can find me on Instagram or on Facebook.
Anything else?
As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do. Sometimes I just can't be bothered to make a complex meal, so lazy vegan recipes it is! This Fast Vegan Veggie Lo Mein is:
- Crunchy
- Sweet
- Tangy
- Chewy
- Noodle-y (that's a word in my book)
- and PACKED with umami flavor!
Let me know in the comments below if you make these onions, tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!
<3 Liz
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15 Minute Vegan Veggie Lo Mein
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This super fast 15 Minute Vegan Veggie Lo Mein is the perfect meal when you need dinner ready in a flash but you still need it to be healthy and taste good.
Vegan, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Can be Soy-Free
Ingredients
Lo Mein
- 12 oz noodles of choice (use gluten-free if needed) (see note 1)
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, julienne sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, sliced thinly
- 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
- 16 oz mushrooms, sliced
Sauce
- 6 tbsp reduced sodium tamari (see note 2)
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (see note 3)
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1.5 tsp tahini (see note 4)
- ½ tsp ground ginger (or use fresh)
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water onto boil, salt it if that's your thing, and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- While that's cooking, you can start stirfrying your vegetables. Add the garlic to a nonstick pan that's bean heated for a minute or two over medium high heat. If cooking without oil, add water a tablespoon at a time to keep the garlic from sticking. Stir fry for about a minute until fragrant.
- Add in the carrots now and stir fry for about 5 minutes, then add the bell pepper and snow peas. I like my peppers and snow peas to still have a light crunch, so I only cooked them for about 4-6 minutes and then I shut off the heat.
- After your veggies are cooked to your liking, remove from heat and make the sauce in a bowl or measuring cup by whisking all the ingredients together.
- When the pasta is drained, return it to the pot and add in the veggies (alternatively you can add the pasta directly to your veggies if your pan is big enough to toss everything well). Stir the pasta and veggies (I use tongs for this) and then add the sauce and toss until combined. I do this in two steps so everything gets well combined. Serve hot and enjoy!
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 5 days, but like most pasta this is best on the first night.
Notes
- Note 1: I couldn't find proper lo mein noodles so I used whole wheat spaghetti, but anything would work, just cook it to the package instructions and drain it before adding the rest of the ingredients in. No one said you even had to use long noodles; use shells or elbows if you want!
- Note 2: Tamari is just gluten-free soy sauce, so if you're not gluten-free you can use the cheaper stuff. If you don't want to eat soy, you could sub Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Coconut Aminos. If you'd like to use the non-reduced sodium version you can, but just keep tasting while you make it to ensure it isn't too salty for you. Taste buds do differ.
- Note 3: Any sugar should work, but I love coconut sugar for this. It has a brown sugar quality that meshes well with the flavors, and it's lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar.
- Note 4: I love the sesame flavor of toasted sesame oil but I don't cook with oil so I subbed tahini. If you're cool with oil then by all means use that, but I didn't miss it when I switched this to tahini and it retains more of the fiber and nutrients of sesame seeds than its oil counterpart.
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keywords: Vegan, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Can be Soy-Free, Lo Mein, Asian, Chinese
Carol M
Love these quick recipes. This veggie lo mein is very good. I used broccoli and green beans for the veggies. Thank you!
★★★★★