Cheesy udon noodle bowl with Brussels sprouts

I could swear it was summer just a few days ago. And yet, now the wind is biting, and my winter coat is back into regular rotation.

You know what that means.

Comfort food is calling.

It would be rude not to answer.

I’ve been warming up from the inside out with this cheesy udon noodle bowl.

In this post:

Do you love udon noodles as much as I do?

For a while udon noodles perplexed me. I couldn’t figure them out.

At restaurants, I adored them. The noodles were thick with great chew & bite.

But then I’d buy a package of dried udon noodles at the grocery store. And I would be seriously underwhelmed.

The noodles were thinner, and more delicate. They were reminiscent of the noodles you might find in a dried packet of noodle soup, like you’d bring along when you go camping.

Then I found frozen udon noodles in the freezer section of my favorite local Korean grocery store. The udon noodles come in a big package with 5 individual packets of noodles inside.

The noodles have already been fully cooked. So it’s just a matter of removing them from their packaging, and re-heating in boiling water for a minute.

There are also microwave instructions on the package as well, but I haven’t used those.

(This is how the frozen udon noodles look removed from their packaging.)

Even though I buy the noodles at a Korean grocery store, udon noodles are a Japanese product. The specific noodles I buy are sanuki style udon noodles made by Shirakiku.

But the brand doesn’t matter so much. When I purchase them, I just look at the ingredient lists of the frozen udon noodles in the case and find the one with the fewest ingredients.

The udon noodle ingredients are: water, wheat flour, tapioca starch, and salt.

Because they only need to warm, they’re an awesome convenience item to have on hand. I use them for lunches regularly.

They are great in udon noodle soup, of course.

I also use them in peanut butter noodles, as well as noodle stir-fries with vegetables and/or vegan kimchi. (Some brands of kimchi include brined shrimp and/or fish sauce.)

Lately I’ve been using udon noodles for an Asian-fusion spin on mac and cheese.

If you don’t have access to frozen udon noodles, use your favorite sturdy dried noodles instead. Cook them according to package directions.

I particularly like chiocciole or gobbetti.

I do not recommend using dried udon noodles. They are too thin and light for a heavy sauce.

In total, you’ll need 3 cups of cooked pasta for this recipe. For more information, check out the notes section of the recipe box below.

The noodles are tossed in a cashew cheese sauce that’s flavored with sautéed onions and garlic, nutritional yeast flakes, miso paste, tamari, and sriracha.

(What is nutritional yeast? <— Find out here.)

I top my cheesy udon noodle bowls with browned Brussels sprouts. The slight bitterness of the charred sprouts works beautifully with a flavorful, cheesy sauce.

I am a huge Brussels sprouts fan. But if you’re not into them, broccoli would be delicious here instead.

Start by cooking udon noodles according to package directions. Remove the noodles from their packaging, and place into boiling water.

It takes just a minute for them to heat. Give the noodles a stir. Then drain and set aside.

Sauté onions and garlic in a skillet with oil. Once they are translucent and fragrant, move them to a blender.

Now you can re-use that skillet to cook the Brussels sprouts.

Add a little more oil to the skillet, as well as the thinly sliced Brussels sprouts and a pinch of salt. Cook until the Brussels are nicely browned and fully cooked.

Remember that they will brown better if they are evenly spread across the pan and moved infrequently. If you stir them too often, they won’t get that lovely brown finish on them.

Back to the blender!

Place the remaining ingredients into the blender – water, tamari, sriracha, miso paste, nutritional yeast flakes, and raw cashew pieces.

If you have a high speed blender, you don’t need to soak the raw cashews ahead of time. However, if you have a standard blender, it will need some help in breaking down the cashews into a smooth, beautifully creamy sauce.

If you have a standard blender, you can soak the raw cashews in water ahead of time for several hours. Then drain them and put them into the blender.

Or you can grind the dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder. Grind the cashews into a flour. Then add them to the blender, along with the other ingredients.

Once the cashew sauce is completely smooth, move it to a medium sized soup pot.

(I like to use the same pot I used for the udon noodles. Fewer dishes that way!)

Bring the pot to a medium heat with the cashew sauce. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

You want to heat the sauce and thicken it as well. If it gets too hot and starts to splatter, lower the heat.

Once the sauce is thick like a gravy, it’s ready to go.

Add the cooked udon noodles to the pot and fully combine with the cashew cheese sauce. Taste for salt, and add a pinch more if necessary.

Evenly distribute the noodles between two bowls. Top the udon noodle bowl with Brussels sprouts and a drizzling of sriracha.

Spicy.

Cheesy.

Hearty.

Cozy.

It’s the kind of lunch that takes the sting out of the winter air. Plus, it’s ready in just 25 minutes. Can’t beat that!

📖 Recipe

Cheesy udon noodle bowl with Brussels sprouts

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 3 votes

Nothing says comfort quite like a bowl of cheesy noodles. This take on it has a bit of an Asian spin with miso, tamari, sriracha, and udon noodles. Because frozen udon noodles are already cooked, they only take 1 minute to warm. Topped with cashew cheese sauce and Brussels sprouts, a satisfying lunch or dinner can be yours in just 25 minutes! Makes 2 generous servings.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Vegan

Keyword: bowl, dairy free

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 (250g pouches) frozen udon noodles cooked according to package directions & drained*
• ▢ 2 teaspoons avocado oil or other neutral flavored oil, divided
• ▢ ½ cup chopped onions
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 heaping cup thinly sliced Brussels sprouts
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons white miso paste
• ▢ ¼ cup raw cashew pieces**
• ▢ ½ cup water
• ▢ ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon tamari
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sriracha + more for drizzling on top

Instructions

• ▢
  Cook the 2 pouches of frozen udon noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• ▢
  Bring a large non-stick skillet to a medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil. Saute onions & garlic a few minutes, until translucent & fragrant. Once fully cooked, put the onions & garlic into the blender.
• ▢
  Now add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the large non-stick skillet. Evenly spread the sliced Brussels sprouts across the skillet, along with a pinch of salt. Cook at a medium heat, allowing the Brussels sprouts to get nice & dark on one side before flipping. If you move the sprouts too often, they won't brown as nicely. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the Brussels are brown and cooked through.
• ▢
  Now it’s time to add the remaining ingredients into the blender. Put white miso paste, raw cashew pieces, water, nutritional yeast flakes, tamari, and ½ teaspoon sriracha into the blender. Blend until completely smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides, if necessary.
• ▢
  Bring a medium-sized soup pot to a medium heat. Pour the blender ingredients into the pot. Cook for a few minutes, so that the sauce can heat & thicken. Stir constantly, so that it heats evenly and doesn’t burn on the bottom. If it starts to splatter or get too hot, lower the heat. The sauce is ready when it’s thick like gravy.
• ▢
  Add the drained udon noodles to the sauce and stir to combine. Taste for salt and add a pinch more if necessary.
• ▢
  Evenly divide the noodles between two bowls. Top each with half of the Brussels sprouts and a drizzling of sriracha.

Notes

*If you don’t have frozen udon noodles, use another sturdy pasta that holds sauce well. My favorites are chiocciole or gobbetti. You’ll need 3 cups of cooked pasta total for this recipe. (1 ½ cups, per person.) To yield 3 cups of cooked pasta, you’ll roughly need 1 ½ cups dried pasta. I do not recommend using dried udon noodles for this recipe. Dried, shelf-stable udon noodles are too thin & light to hold up to a heavy sauce.

**If you have a high speed blender, you don’t need to soak the raw cashews ahead of time. However, if you’re using a standard blender, it will need some help making a perfectly smooth, creamy sauce. You have 2 options. 1. Soak the raw cashews in water for several hours. Drain. Then add them to the blender and continue with the recipe. 2. Grind the dry, raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder. Then add them to the blender and continue with the recipe.

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Nutrition

Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 447mg | Potassium: 445mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 42.1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2.2mg