Pasta with Chinese veggies and thinly sliced pork tenderloin in a spicy peanut butter sauce. A Desperation Dinner made with ingredients you have on hand.
My Secret Recipe Club blog this month is Crumb. Isabelle’s focus on Crumb is cooking delicious meals from scratch using fresh ingredients. One of her most popular recipes is Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles, one of her “Desperation Dinners.”
Over the years, I’ve collected a handful of recipes that I refer to as Desperation Dinners – dishes meant for those days when I get home after a yucky day at the office and just want to get the cooking over with so I can crash on the couch for a three-hour dose of mind-numbing reality TV, or when I can’t muster up the energy to go to the grocery store for ingredients. They’re quick, they’re simple, and they require nothing that isn’t already in my pantry or freezer.
I’m often in need of a Desperation Dinner, so this recipe was the perfect fit for me. I changed up the ingredients a little bit to use what I had on hand. Isabelle said these noodles are also quite good with nothing more than noodles, sauce and a sprinkling of green onions.
The pork tenderloin was a wonderful addition to this recipe. I’ve never used it in a stir fry before and it was so tender and delicious, I will definitely be using it again in the future. When I make this recipe again, I’ll use the sauce from my Chicken Satay Noodle Salad post because I liked it just a little bit better.
Next time you’re in need of a Desperation Dinner, give this one a try.
Ingredients
- 2 packages Top Ramen Noodles
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup finely julienned carrots
- 1 cup frozen sugar snap peas
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter (chunky, if possible)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 14 oz. can fancy mixed Chinese vegetables
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- Garnish:
- Chopped green onions
- Chopped roasted peanuts
Directions
- Cook noodles in water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a wok or large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger and hot pepper, and stir fry for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add pork strips. Continue stir frying for 4 minutes, until the pork is browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a small bowl.
- Add the remaining tbsp oil to the pan, then add carrots and snow peas. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are tender-crisp. Transfer to the same bowl as the pork.
- Add peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and water to the pan, and cook for a minute or two until the peanut butter melts into a smooth sauce (if the sauce looks too thick or sticky, add a tablespoon or two of water at a time until it loosens up to the desired consistency). Add Chinese vegetables, cooked noodles, and cook for 1-2 minutes to warm through.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the reserved pork and vegetables along with chopped green onions, and toss until evenly coated with sauce. Serve hot with a sprinkling of green onions and roasted peanuts.
Visit the Secret Recipe Club for information on how to join in the fun. I look forward to my blog assignment each month to explore wonderful new-to-me blogs like Crumb.
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
This is my kind of meal. Love these flavors!
I love peanut butter noodles of all types. I make them often with that whole wheat spaghetti they sell at Costco.
i’m not a huge fan of pasta (i know, i’m crazy!) but i would eat anything with peanut sauce. i adore peanut butter and this recipe looks fantastic barbara!
Yum! I want to try this!
This looks fantastic!
This looks wonderful! I love spicy peanut noodles – such a tasty dish, and I love all those tasty veggies in there as well!
I love Asian dishes with peanut butter in them. Great SRC choice!
Scrumptious! That flavor combination is just awesome. I love peanuts in savory or sweet dishes.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a delicious choice for this month’s SRC post. We love noodles and peanut sauce.
I love asian style noodles, especially with peanut flavor. Great recipe!
So glad you liked this recipe! It’s a favourite at my house, and definitely meant to be made with whatever’s kicking in around in the pantry. Love the idea of using ramen noodles as the base!
I’ll have to check out your Chicken Satay Noodle Salad sometime… it sounds delicious! Then again, I love peanut sauce so much that I’d probably even eat my own shoe as long as it was smothered in sauce.
Peanut sauces are one of my weaknesses! So yummy!
This looks mighty healthy and savory! YUM!
Desperation dinner… I love it! You can’t really go wrong with anything that has peanut butter in it in my opinion. Yum yum yum!
I’m a big fan of Asian dishes with peanut sauce! I’ll have to try your satay or this noodle dish with your other sauce!
I love peanut in noodle dishes and this sounds super easy. What a great meal when you need something fast.
Peanut butter noodles are always a big hit in our house. We love to pack them with veggies, chicken and edamame. This looks wonderful!
Yum, I love peanut flavored anything and this looks so quick and easy!
This sounds marvelous Barbara! I love pork stir fries, and the peanut butter sauce in this sounds like a perfect accent!
desperation dinners happen often around here
this looks like the perfect thing!
This sounds wonderful Barbara! Just love your recipes every time and your photos are so beautiful! Perfect for a desperate dinner this week. Thanks!
That sounds great mum! And speaking of, I kind of need a desperation dinner tonight!
xxx
I would so enjoy that!
This is not a desperation dinner – this is a dinner I’d be happy to make and eat at least once a week. I like how you adapted it to a sauce you preferred, and made it your own. I’m still waiting for the cookbook announcement. I guarenteed it to my BF..he wholeheartedly agreed after sifting through your blog, asking me to start using my Barbara Bakes bookmarks.
New term for me and one I will probably use now…. desperation dinner! lol. LOVE it! I also love recipes like this one with that thai flair!
Looks so very flavourful yet light and delicious!
You call this a desperation dinner!!! Really?!?! Desperation dinner is usually eggs and bread at my place.. this is a good, wholesome meal…another easy oriental recipe after the honey garlic chicken!! thanks!
Homemade Chinese is the best! Great flavors.
I’m a strange person
I dun usually like peanut butter but I always seem to like it when its used in a savoury dish ~ The noodles look lovely something I’d love to have for lunch ~
I love the combination of flavors. A scrumptious meal!
Now, if someone would just make this tonight for my dinner!
It looks delicious.
Totally bookmarked. Everyone could always use more “desperation dinner” go-tos, right? It looks gorgeous!
This is my kind of meal! Desperation meals are good to have on hand.
Delicious!
This sounds so yummy! I love some spice and I am always in on the lookout for quick and healthy meals. I would probably make this without the red pepper flakes so the kids could eat it and then add some sriracha for my own serving.
I’m addicted to peanut butter. When the flavor is combined with noodles, it is just amazing.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
-Stephanie
I’ve been meaning to make peanut noodles FOREVER! these sound fantastic!
This looks delicious. I’m always on the look out for easy and delicious meals that are a slight change from the usual.
I want to try this one, it would be a huge hit with my husband.
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC entry: Broiled Sushi.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
I love spicy noodles.. I will definitely try this out later.
Desperation Dinners…what a good term to coin and how appropriate it is for a lot of us. This does look simple and delicious… beautifully clicked as well Barbara. Nom nom nom …
Oh I just love these peanut butter noodles! If I make these, I’ll probably eat the whole thing all by myself! Thanks for sharing this!
I love spicy peanut butter noodles and you’ve made it into a meal. We have a favorite Vietnamien noodle and beef salad that I’ve been craving and wanting to make and your wonderful dish has given me more ideas… Gorgeous and yummy!
A FUN post for the SRC ~ love the blog name Crumb too!
This is my kind of food!!! Fast, and delicious!!!
Thanks for sharing!!!
Mmm, this looks really good right now. Maybe it’s because I had some yogurt and granola for dinner. The kids love Ramen, I’ll have to try kicking it up with something like this.