Vegan Tahini Noodles with Broccoli Rabe & Tempeh Crumbles
These delicious vegan noodles are coated with a creamy tahini sauce and loaded with nutritious broccoli rabe and ultra “meaty” tempeh crumbles. Insanely flavorful, easy to make, and full of satisfying textures for a super delightful dish!
Parents often say that they love all of their children equally. In the same way, I love all of my veggies equally, but much like children, some veggies particularly steal your heart at a given moment in time. And in this particular moment, broccoli rabe is one of my favorite ingredients, for good reason: it’s slightly mustardy and peppery, with a hint of nuttiness, and it’s incredibly flavorful! It can also be a bit of an acquired taste, since it’s quite bitter, but don’t let that scare you off - the balanced flavors of this dish make it the perfect gateway for the broccoli rabe novice.
I’m willing to bet chances are that if you already love tempeh (and if you do, have you tried these tempeh nourish bowls yet?) and tahini, and you also happen to be a noodle enthusiast (and who doesn’t love noodles?!!?), this dish miiiight just convert you to #TeamBroccRabe!
Why You’ll Love these Noodles
Packed with varied textures. Udon noodles, cooked al dente, are tender and chewy and coated in a creamy tahini dressing, and also loaded with sautéed broccoli rabe pieces and loads of “meaty” tempeh crumbles. Creamy, chewy, crunchy, and meaty - these noodles have a bit of everything, making them super satisfying!
Insanely flavorful. 🔥 Not only are the textures on point, so are the flavors! These noodles are loaded with umami, especially from the tahini sauce, which strikes the perfect balance of creamy tahini, super savory and salty tamari, acidic rice vinegar and zippy garlic and ginger. The tempeh introduces even more umami since it’s slightly nutty and its flavor is further enhanced with nutritional yeast and tamari. Broccoli rabe introduces bitterness to the dish, but it also adds some mustard-y, peppery notes, which complement the sauce’s Asian-inspired flavors. Topping the noodles with some cilantro finishes them off with a hint of freshness. And if you also like a bit of heat, sprinkle on some red pepper flakes before serving!
Loaded with nutritious whole plant foods. Speaking of broccoli rabe and tempeh, these are two insanely nutritious whole foods, which load the noodles up with a healthy dose of cruciferous veg (there’s tons of broccoli rabe!) and tempeh (a fermented food, so it’s extra beneficial for gut health). And since the sauce is tahini-based, as opposed to other noodle dishes that might use oil-based sauces, the tahini helps add extra nutrients like selenium, iron, and calcium, as well as a bit of protein.
Easy and simple to make. You really can’t beat a dish that’s not only nutritious and super tasty, but that also happens to be fairly simple to make! This dish combines 3 basic components with cooked noodles: 1) a sauce, 2) sautéed broccoli rabe, and 3) tempeh crumbles. The sauce comes together easily by whisking together a few ingredients. And the broccoli rabe and tempeh really couldn’t be easier to cook, either. After trimming the broccoli rabe and crumbling the tempeh, simply sauté each of them (separately) for a few minutes (adding some nutritional yeast and tamari in the last minute of cooking the tempeh). After that, just toss the cooked noodles with the sauce, then add in the sautéed broccoli rabe and tempeh crumbles and top with any desired toppings - that’s it!
Dish Component Overview
Udon noodles. Wide udon noodles work wonderfully in this dish as they are a great vessel for the creamy sauce! Simply cook them according to package directions until al dente. For added nutrition, I recommend choosing udon noodles with a higher fiber content (you can check this by comparing the fiber content listed on nutrition labels - just be sure you’re comparing the same serving sizes against each other).
Tahini sauce. With just 5 ingredients, this sauce might seem deceptively simple, but I promise that its flavor absolutely BANGS. The sauce is a mix of tahini, reduced sodium tamari (soy sauce), and rice vinegar, plus some freshly grated garlic give it an aromatic, zingy punch. It’s insanely flavorful and pairs wonderfully with the broccoli rabe and tempeh to bring the whole dish together.
Broccoli rabe. The star veg of the dish! If you’re a fan of broccoli rabe, you already know it’s quite bitter, but in a delicious way, with pungent notes of mustard and pepper. Sautéed broccoli rabe loads these noodles full of green cruciferous veg to really boost the nutrition with tons of fiber, various vitamins (K, E, A, and C), calcium, iron, potassium, and even protein!
Tempeh. Not only does tempeh add protein, it also complements the flavor of the broccoli rabe beautifully as both are slightly bitter with earthy and nutty notes. Just crumble the tempeh to create little “meaty” bits, then combine with nutritional yeast and tamari during cooking for a big flavor boost. The tempeh crumbles mix into the noodles to give the dish some super satisfying “meaty” bits, in addition to adding in ~11 grams of protein per serving (assuming 4 serves total per recipe)! Plus, tempeh is an incredibly nutritious whole food, rich in pre-biotic fiber and a great source of iron, calcium, B vitamins, and other nutrients from the fermentation process it undergoes.
Now that you know what to expect, it’s time to experience the noodles yourself! And if you love them as much as I do, please consider sharing the recipe and leaving a review in the comments below.
Tahini Noodles with Broccoli Rabe & Tempeh Crumbles
Vegan
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 ounces wide udon noodles (or other similar noodles)
~3 tablespoons oil for cooking, divided
1½-2 lbs. broccoli rabe (about 2 medium-large bunches), ends and thick stems trimmed off and discarded (they are too bitter/woodsy to eat!) and remaining pieces torn or roughly chopped into smaller pieces
1 8-ounce package tempeh, crumbled
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
Salt & pepper, to taste
Tahini sauce:
½ cup well-stirred tahini
¼ cup reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (from ~1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled first)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely grated
To serve:
Fresh cilantro
Sesame seeds
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
Directions
Make the tahini sauce. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and whisk together until a creamy sauce forms. Set aside.
Before starting the cooking process, make sure you’ve prepared all the ingredients (trimmed the broccoli rabe and tore it into smaller pieces, crumbled the tempeh, etc.) as the cooking process goes very quickly!
Cook the noodles. Bring a medium to large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente, about 8-10 minutes (exact timing depends on your noodles!). While the noodles are boiling, cook the tempeh and broccoli rabe.
For the tempeh: In a medium cast iron or other large skillet, heat ~1 tablespoon oil (or enough to coat the bottom) over medium heat. Once hot, add the crumbled tempeh and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on the outsides, about 6-7 minutes. Add in the nutritional yeast and tamari and stir to coat, then continue cooking while stirring frequently until the tamari has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set aside briefly until ready to serve.
For the broccoli rabe: Divide the broccoli rabe into two batches. In a large skillet, heat ~1 tablespoon oil (or enough to lightly coat the pan) over medium heat. Once hot, add in half the broccoli rabe, a small sprinkle of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper (to taste), and sauté, stirring occasionally, until bright green with the leaves wilted and the stems tender, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked broccoli rabe to a bowl/plate and set aside until ready to use. Repeat the cooking process with the second batch of broccoli rabe.
Once the noodles have finished cooking, drain and add the cooked noodles back into the pot you just used to cook them. Add the tahini sauce and mix it into the noodles until they’re evenly coated. (If the sauce seems too thick, you can stir in a tablespoon or two of water to thin.) Add the cooked broccoli rabe and tempeh crumbles and mix again to incorporate everything together.
Divide into serving bowls and top with cilantro, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes (optional, for a bit of heat). Serve immediately.
Dreaming of your next bite of these noodles? 😋 Please take a moment to leave a review in the comments below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you share them. Any sharing and reviewing of the recipe are immensely helpful, and I very much appreciate your time and support!