These cold sesame noodle meal prep bowls are the perfect vegan prep ahead lunch: spiralized vegetables tossed with chickpeas and whole wheat spaghetti in a spicy almond butter sauce.
Having a delicious meal prep lunch waiting for you is a great way to eat healthier and to save money. Favorites of ours include cauliflower cashew lunch bowls, as well as southwestern sweet potato lentil jar salads. These cold sesame noodle meal prep bowls are another personal and reader favorite!
With whole wheat pasta and spiralized vegetables tossed in a creamy almond butter sauce, there's a whole lot to love here. It's a great one if you don't have access to a microwave, as it tastes great served cold.
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- it's vegan, yet filling with 19 g protein per serving
- you can have the bowls prepped in under 30 minutes
- they keep well and taste great, even on day 4!
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these Cold Sesame Noodle Meal Prep Bowls. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Ingredient notes
- almond butter- use all natural almond butter (the only ingredients should be almonds and maybe salt). You can swap for peanut butter; alternative nut and seed butters have not been tested.
- pasta- whole wheat pasta keeps well and provides a little extra nutrition than regular pasta; gluten-free or other alternatives have not been tested and I cannot say how they will hold up for 4 days.
- chickpeas- add protein to this meal; feel free to swap for tofu or edamame
- spiralized veggies- stir into the noodles nicely; we've used a combination of zucchini and carrots. Feel free to change it up; if you use other types of veggies such as squash you may need to cook them first.
Step by step directions
1. Cook pasta- start by cooking the pasta first, as it will take the longest to prepare. Follow package directions. When cooked through, rinse under cold water and set aside to cool completely.
2. Prepare sauce- In a jar or salad dressing shaker, stir together almond butter, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, lime juice and red pepper flakes.
3. Portion- Divide the almond butter sauce into condiment containers; divide chickpeas, spiralized vegetables and cooled pasta between four meal prep containers.
Cover and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
4. Serve- Remove the sauce and let it stand at room temperature for several minutes. Pour the sauce over the noodles, stir everything up, and enjoy cold!
FAQ
You don't need to! They add a nice crunchy texture when mixed in with the noodles. If you'd prefer a softer texture, you could sauté for 3-5 minutes with a little bit of olive oil.
Since nut butter varies considerably in thickness with different brands and batches, you may need to thin it out. Add water by the half tablespoon, and stir until you get the consistency you are looking for.
After refrigeration, the sauce will be thick and difficult to spread; let it stand at room temperature for several minutes- up to 1 hour before drizzling on your noodles.
You might be able to freeze it without the zucchini, but I don't recommend freezing the zucchini noodles.
Variations
- zucchini & carrots- swap for thinly sliced bell pepper, cabbage, or your favorite bagged slaw,
- chickpeas- swap for chicken or edamame
- pasta- swap for quinoa, rice, farro or extra vegetable noodles
- almond butter sauce- swap for this turmeric tahini sauce
More meal prep bowls
- Grilled Veggie & Black Bean Meal Prep Bowls
- 33 Vegan Meal Prep Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Cold Sesame Noodles with Spiralized Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 oz whole wheat spaghetti uncooked
- 1 zucchini medium-sized; spiralized
- 2 carrots spiralized or shredded
- 2 cups chickpeas 15 or 19 oz can, drained & rinsed; note 2
- green onions to garnish
- sesame seeds to garnish
Almond Butter Sauce:
- ¼ cup almond butter all natural; note 1
- 1 teaspoon ginger finely grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce I use reduced sodium
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional; omit for non-spicy version
Instructions
- Cook pasta- start by cooking the pasta first, as it will take the longest to prepare. Follow package directions. When cooked through, rinse under cold water and set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare sauce- In a jar or salad dressing shaker, stir together almond butter, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, lime juice and red pepper flakes.
- Portion- Divide the almond butter sauce into condiment containers; divide chickpeas, spiralized vegetables and cooled pasta between four meal prep containers.
- To serve- Let sauce stand at room temperature for 10 minutes- 1 hour. Drizzle sauce over noodles, toss everything up, and enjoy cold.
Tips:
Video
Nutrition Information
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Katie says
i just made the sauce and it was real runny. I didn't see anyone else question the amount of vinegar but I just want to make sure it is TABLESPOONS not TEASPOONS. Maybe my almond butter was old. I'm going to give it another try but can you confirm the ratios are written correctly before I put it together a second time? THANK YOU FOR CHECKING!
Denise says
Hi Katie, yes it is tablespoons 🙂 It should be liquidy enough to use as a dressing, but still slightly thickened...watch the video in the post for a good visual. Perhaps your almond butter was on the liquidy side? Let me know how it turns out if you try again!
Courtenay says
This is amazing! I made it today but used a cucumber in place of zucchini and added chicken. SO SO good and the dressing is on point. YUM! Thank you for this great recipe! 🙂
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed!
Denise says
Hi Lynne, this is not a low carb recipe. I have quite a few low carb meal prep recipes in this post if you are interested: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/low-carb-meal-prep-recipes/
Jane says
I found the sauce too salty so cut the soy sauce in half and it was delicious! I made rice paper rolls with bean sprouts, cucumber, red pepper, Thai basil, mint and mango. The sauce was perfect for them!!!
Denise says
Hi Jane! Did you use reduced sodium soy sauce? I find regular soy sauce way too salty and exclusively use the reduced sodium stuff these days. I mentioned it in the recipe card. Glad you enjoyed!
Heather says
Can anything be substituted for the spiralized zucchini? We are not back g fans of the flavor/texture of it
Denise says
Hi Heather! I would swap the zucchini noodles for shredded cabbage, broccoli slaw, or any other hardy vegetable mix. I think this dressing would work great with a number of veggies!
Bethany says
So I just made this. Didn’t have almond butter so I used used peanut butter and omitted maple syrup. My dressing was probably thicker because of that but so delicious
Denise says
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Bethany!
Rosemary says
Hi, I’m trying not to use oil. Can you recommend something in its place for the dressing?
Denise says
Hi Rosemary! Apologies for my late reply; I've just returned from holidays. I would just leave the sesame oil out, although there are natural oils in the almond butter as well. I'm not sure what you could swap the almond butter for. Hope you enjoy!
Rhiannon says
What containers are these?
Dianne says
Though I am positive this dish would've been amazing as written, I did make some substitutions/additions based on ingredients I had available. I substituted edamame for the chickpeas and hefty squirt of sriracha in place of the red pepper flakes in the dressing. I also added thinly sliced orange and red bell pepper and some shredded green cabbage. It was absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe and made a week's worth of lunches for my husband and me. It was so satisfying! Very filling without feeling heavy, so it's the perfect quick lunch for two people who spend the entirety of their work days on their feet. As a vegan, I always love coming across a vegan based recipe with mass appeal and adaptability. Get it, girl! 🙂
Denise says
Hi Dianne! I love your modifications, yum! Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to leave a review 🙂
Emily says
So delicious!! I subsituted chicken for chickpeas and peanut butter for the almond butter. So yummy! And awesome dish for summer when you don’t want something hot. Great recipe!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed it, Emily! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Holly says
We can't wait to have these for lunch this week. I love these little containers for reusable dressing containers. http://www.easylunchboxes.com/blog/mini-dippers-leak-resistant-small-containers-for-your-lunch-box/
Denise says
Those are cute! Thanks for sharing!
K says
For re-useable condiment containers, I use mason jars - the jelly jar size is a half cup and perfect for dressings or small containers of nuts! https://www.amazon.com/4-Ounce-Quilted-Crystal-Jelly-Bands/dp/B00RG0IWBG/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1527004938&sr=1-4&keywords=jelly+jars
Denise says
Great idea!
Erin Maxwell says
I love this so much! The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly and it was so good that my fiancé and I both couldnt help but to eat it for both lunch and supper on that very day. The second time I made it I decided to play around a little and subbed out the almond butter for tahini to give it even more of a sesame kick, and used a tsp of ground fresh chili paste instead of the half tsp of flakes, to pump up the heat, and it was sooooo lovely. Tonight, I really just wanted a side salad to go with my meal, so I only made the spiralized zucchini and carrot, topped with the green onions. For the dressing I did the tahini and chili paste thing again, however this time I integrated the ingredients together using my immersion blender. And holy moly! It was so smooth and almost whipped in texture and it just made it seem so decadent. I'm addicted.
Denise says
I'm so happy you've enjoyed them, Erin! I definitely have to try them with tahini. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a nice review <3
karli says
If i wanted to just buy a dressing to put on this vs make it what would you suggest? Like a Thai peanut dressing?
Denise says
I think a Thai peanut dressing would be perfect!
Jennifer says
I love using silicone baking cups (round or otherwise shaped) for my sauce cups. They are so easy to clean and you can squeeze them to get all the sauce out. I can't wait to try this recipe, it looks amazing!
Denise says
Love that idea! I need to get some mini silicone cups 🙂
Kate Larsson says
Thanks for the Vegetarian option. I use these reusable glass 2 oz containers with lids instead of plastic. I try to avoid using plastic whenever I can. Green Sprouts Reusable Baby Food Glass Containers Freezer Cubes 2 ounce
They are available on Amazon.
Denise says
I am looking those up asap! I dislike plastic as well. Thanks, Kate!
Karen says
Oh yes! This is my new favourite lunch! Just made it for dinner and got so excited to eat it that I forgot the chickpeas! I added some avocado and it was so delicious. Thanks for sharing. This is now in my rotation ?? I will remember the chickpeas next time.
Denise says
Woo hoo! So happy you liked it!
Megan says
This was simple to make and tasted amazing!! I subbed GF pasta for the whole wheat and liquid aminos for the soy sauce to make this gluten free but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I do like a bit more spice, so will probably either increase the pepper flakes or add a touch of sriracha next time I make this.
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed them Megan! Thanks for reporting back.
Katie Lathrop says
Oh my goodness... I want to eat this sauce on everything! Made this for meal prep for the first part of the week for my fiance & I (chickpeas in mine & chicken for him), and I am definitely adding it to the list of things to make again!
Denise says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Katie!
Lisa says
This is definitely dinner tonight! (And lunch tomorrow) You make the BEST vegan stuff! Thank you!
Denise says
Thanks Lisa! I hope you enjoy it 😀