Teriyaki Udon with Vegetables

This Teriyaki Udon with Vegetables recipe is a delicious and nutritious meal that's ready in about 20 minutes, plus it's vegetarian and only uses one pan. What more could you ask for on a busy weeknight?

This recipe is both simple and versatile. We love it hot and fresh for dinner served with some crispy tofu or chilled the next day for lunch. While we include cabbage, carrots and broccoli in this recipe, there's plenty of room to swap in other vegetables and add your protein of choice. 

Ingredients that Matter

You'll need to a trip to the grocery store for this recipe, but all ingredients should be readily available in most markets:

• Udon Noodles. This Japanese wheat noodle is round and thick. They are often quite tender, making them ideal in soups and stir-fries. You'll find thick udon sold in the freezer and refrigerated section of your grocery store.  Or you may find them vacuum packed on a shelf. There's a surprising amount of options! And, finally, you can find thinner, dried udon noodles. For this recipe, use the thick udon, either frozen, refrigerated or vacuum packed and cook according to package instructions.
• Teriyaki Sauce. We make a quick homemade teriyaki sauce with reduced-sodium soy sauce, mirin (a low alcohol rice wine similar to sake), brown sugar and aromatics like garlic, ginger and scallions. It's thickened with a simple cornstarch slurry (equal parts water and cornstarch). You could use store-bought teriyaki, but this homemade version is super simple and delicious!
• Vegetables. We like our stir-fried noodles to have a variety of textures, so we use cabbage, carrots and broccoli. The cabbage becomes super tender, almost melting into the noodles, while the carrots and broccoli keep a good tender-crisp texture.

How to Make Teriyaki Udon with Vegetables

This teriyaki udon with vegetables comes together quickly and quite easily. Use a wok (if you have it) or a large skillet.

Make the teriyaki sauce by heat oil in a wok or skillet and cook the garlic, ginger and scallions just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add the soy sauce, mirin and brown sugar and cook for one minute. Then add the cornstarch slurry and boil for about 30 seconds. That's it! Transfer the sauce to a small bowl. No need to clean out the wok or skillet after making the sauce.

Add more oil and cook the broccoli for about one minute, then add the cabbage and cook another minute or two until starting to wilt. Finally, add the carrots and stir-fry for about one more minute until just starting to soften.

Now move the vegetables to the side and add the udon noodles (if using frozen, be sure to follow package instructions to precook as needed). Then add ¼ cup of water and cover the wok or skillet. Cook for two minutes then gently toss to break up the noodles.

Finally, add the teriyaki sauce and cook, gently stirring frequently, until the noodles and vegetables are well coated. You can add a bit more water to loosen the noodles, as needed. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

Serving Suggestions

This simple recipe is a perfect base for adding your protein of choice. We like to eat stir-fried noodles with crispy tofu but you could also add cooked and shredded chicken or sliced beef. Keep it vegan by adding tempeh or seitan. Here's some other serving suggestions:

• Try this recipe served cold. Leftovers make for a delicious lunch. Simply store in an airtight container for up to three days.
• Add more veggies. Try adding sliced snow peas, green peas, bean sprouts, bell peppers, onions, etc.
• Add some heat! Teriyaki sauce tends to be sweet and salty, so adding a bit of heat can make the dish really pop. Try adding a couple teaspoons of chili-garlic sauce or a big pinch of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes.
• No wok? No problem! Use a large skillet instead. A standard stainless steel skillet, cast iron or even nonstick skillet will work just fine. If using nonstick, however, be sure not to heat the pain higher than medium-high or you could damage the pan.
• Serve the noodles with simple sliced cucumbers or radishes for a crunchy side.

Teriyaki Sauce

This Japanese sauce is packed with salty umami flavor from soy sauce and mirin. As it's become more and more popular in the west over the years, versions now may include garlic, ginger and more sweeteners. We use brown sugar as we like the complexity of the molasses flavor. 

Whenever using soy sauce we recommend using reduced-sodium, when possible. Soy sauce has a ton of sodium and using a reduced-sodium version can really help limit added sodium. Feel free to use tamari (gluten free soy sauce) if you prefer, though this recipe is obviously not gluten free with the udon noodles.

Teriyaki sauce works well on a variety of proteins, from grilled chicken and steak, to crispy tofu and tempeh. The version we use in this recipe is thick so it sticks well to the noodles. If you want to use this version for other applications, like as a sauce for protein, cut the cornstarch slurry in half.

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