These gluten-free Sweet and Sour Noodles are a lighter take on a the restaurant favorite. This cheater recipe is incredibly easy to make and a great use for leftovers! Homemade sweet and sour sauce is the key to the amazing flavor. Dairy-free, gluten-free, and ready in about 20 minutes!
Leftovers At Their Best!
These noodles are an easy, thrown together recipe, that utilizes leftovers and my healthy sweet and sour sauce. Also, this easy recipe is a twist on one of my superfood bowl cookbook recipes, Sweet and Sour Ham and Pasta Noodle Bowls! The difference is, we’ve changed up the sauce a wee bit and we’re giving you the option to throw in any cooked meat of choice.
Ingredients You’ll Need
One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is; it’s simple to make the the dish your own. Feel free to create it as shown, or use up any of the leftovers in your fridge to make your own creation!
- Rice noodles or gluten-free spaghetti. Low-carb options: veggie noodles!
- Sesame oil
- Onion – The sweetness of red onion is great in sweet and sour noodles, but yellow or white onion are fine, too.
- Bell pepper – Just like red onion, red bell peppers are a bit sweeter than green. Plus, red peppers pack more beta carotene than the other bell pepper varieties.
- Cooked ham or other cooked protein of choice. I actually love to use diced smoked ham or turkey for some umami flavor, but tempeh (or tofu), fried egg, chicken, or shrimp will work as well.
- Homemade sweet and sour sauce – I’m partial to my homemade version, mostly because it’s all-natural. If you’d rather use bottled sauce, my feelings will only be hurt a little. 😉
- Diced pineapple, optional
- Red pepper flakes, for garnish
- Green onion (scallion)
- Fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Sweet And Sour Noodles
You’re busy… I feel you. That’s why this easy Asian dinner comes together in under 20 minutes. Like I said earlier, nothing fancy to see here. It’s just oodles of noodles and some leftovers from your fridge. Let’s make this!
- COOK THE NOODLES
Cook your pasta according to package directions, but to avoid over cooked, soggy noodles, stop cooking when they’re al dente. Rinse under cold water and set them aside in a strainer.
- SAUTE YOUR VEGGIES
Heat a large skillet or a wok with sesame oil over medium high. Add the red onion and saute for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add bell pepper slices and saute/stir fry again for and additional minute, or until peppers are coated in oil and slightly cooked.
- COMBINE NOODLES WITH VEGGIES
Add the cooked pasta to the ingredients in the pan and toss to combine. If the noodles seem a bit dry, you can add an additional 1 tablespoon oil.
- ADD YOUR COOKED PROTEIN AND THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
Mix in the sweet and sour sauce and cooked protein of choice. Toss all together and cook on medium until noodles are well coated, about 5 minutes.
- ADD PINEAPPLE (if using)
Add optional diced pineapple, and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until pasta and sauce are evenly coated with vegetables.
- GARNISH and SERVE!
Garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro, and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately or place in airtight container to store in fridge.
How Long Will Leftovers Keep?
Well, when you make a recipe with fresh ingredients, leftovers are usually good for a few days. But, if you are using leftovers from your fridge to make the sweet and sour noodles, I’m going to suggest that you eat the meal up within 2 days.
What to Serve with Sweet & Sour Noodles
Sweet and Sour Noodle Recipe
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 5 servings 1x
Description
This Asian noodle recipe for Cheater’s Sweet and Sour Noodles makes a delicious and healthy dinner. It’s incredibly easy to make and a great use for leftovers! Lower carb option in notes.
Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces (300 grams) rice noodles or gluten-free spaghetti
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- ⅔ cup sliced red onion
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 8 ounces diced cooked ham or cooked protein of choice
- ½ to ⅔ cup sweet and sour sauce
- ½ cup diced pineapple, optional
- Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish
- 1 sliced green onion, for garnish
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente, according to package. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet with sesame oil over medium high. Add the red onion and saute for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add bell pepper slices and saute/stir fry again for and additional minute, or until peppers are coated in oil and slightly cooked.
- Add the cooked pasta to ingredients in the pan and toss to combine. Add an additional 1 tablespoon oil if needed.
- Mix in the sweet and sour sauce and cooked protein of choice. Toss all together and cook on medium until noodles are well coated, about 5 minutes.
- Add optional diced pineapple, reduce to medium low. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until pasta and sauce are evenly coated with vegetables.
- Garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro, and red pepper flakes.
- Serve immediately or place in airtight container to store in fridge.
Notes
If you’d like to reduce carbohydrates, replace rice noodles with veggie noodles of choice or even hearts of palm noodles!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 309
- Sugar: 12.7 g
- Sodium: 681.4 mg
- Fat: 6.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.7 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 34.6 mg
Loved the sauce recipe..think there’s too many noodles personally and that included creating deep fried chicken balls, adding carrots and mushrooms
Glad it worked out with the chicken!
I changed this up a bit just based on what we had, plus I hate splitting packages of noodles so we used 16oz of spaghetti noodles. Extra veggies (clean out the fridge!) and your recipe for sweet and sour sauce. Excellent, definitely a keeper!
That’s great Brooke! So glad you loved it!
great idea. Thank you
Hi Lindsay, I’m actually on a Keto diet right now but this makes me wanna break my fast! Maybe it’s time to order some hearts of palm noodles for cheat day sometimes…
I have tried those noodles and really like them! This would totally work with palm noodles or zucchini noodles.
Oh yes- this is what I need more of in my life! The noodles with all of these amazing flavors are so much better than take out!
Such an amazing dish to make that comes together quickly! Love how simple it is to make it vegetarian as well!
This is so flavorful! I loved it!
Love that you made the sweet and sour sauce! SO much better that way!
I’m always looking for recipes with shortcuts! This is perfect for a busy weeknight!