The Lakes Kitchen

Fresh garlic, ginger root, red pepper flakes, chicken broth, and vegetables simmer together to make a flavorful yet Easy Szechuan Noodle and Vegetable Lo Mein recipe.

Method:

In a large pot, add the chicken broth, garlic, freshly grated ginger, and red pepper flakes.

Next, add the package of frozen vegetables and noodles to the skillet.  I used rice noodles, but any noodles that you have will work, including spaghetti noodles.

After adding the vegetables and noodles, bring everything to a boil and cover the pot.

Simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until all of the vegetables have softened and the noodles are cooked.  Stir everything occasionally.

Once the noodles and vegetables are cooked, stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil mixture.  Cook everything for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Lastly, serve the dish into bowls.  I topped mine with fresh basil, but you can also top it with chopped green onions.

Easy Szechuan Noodle and Vegetable Lo Mein

May 4, 2021

Servings: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy

Print This

An easy and delicious, yet flavorful, Szechuan Noodle and Vegetable Lo Mein recipe using garlic, fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, noodles and vegetables.

By: The Lakes

Ingredients

• 28ounces of chicken broth ( I used chicken base)
• 4-5 fresh minced garlic cloves
• 1-2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
• 1/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 16 ounce package of frozen vegetables ( I used a medley of peppers, water chestnuts, broccoli, and carrots)
• One package of pasta (6 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• Optional - fresh basil leaves or green onions

Directions

• Step 1 Combine broth, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a large pan and bring to a boil.
• Step 2 Add the frozen vegetables and pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir uncovered for 5-8 minutes until the vegetables have softened and the noodles are cooked.
• Step 3 Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil.
• Step 4 Serve and top with fresh basil or green onions.

If you enjoy this Easy Szechuan Noodle and Vegetable Lo Mein, you might also want to try some of the following:

Coconut Curry with Lemongrass and Vegetables

One Pot Creamy Couscous Pilaf

Using any kind of pesto, bell peppers, pasta, onion, and olive oil, this simple Pesto Pasta with Peppers dish is a colorful and fresh tasting pasta meal to enjoy for lunch or dinner.

Method:

Begin by cooking the pasta until it is done, according to the package directions.

*Be sure to reserve 1/2 – 1 cup of the pasta cooking water to add back to the dish in a bit.

While the pasta is cooking, slice the red onion and peppers.  To speed up the time, I used store-bought frozen peppers that are already cut up with yellow, red, and green bell peppers.

Then over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil, bell peppers, and onion until the peppers and onion begin to soften.

Once the peppers are softened, add the pesto, reserved cooking water, and pasta to the pepper and onion mixture in the pan.  Toss to coat the noodles.

Once the pasta is well-coated, this Pesto Pasta with Peppers dish is ready to be served.  I sprinkled some frozen parmesan cheese on top too, but this is optional.

A few tips:

*If frozen pre-sliced peppers are available, that will help save prep time for cooking this dish. Fresh peppers will give the dish even more flavor however.

*Adding shredded cheese, such as parmesan cheese, is a great optional topping to add on.  I keep my freshly shredded parmesan cheese in the freezer, so it is ready to use on a moments notice.

*Store-bought or homemade pesto will work in this dish too.

Pesto Pasta with Peppers

March 18, 2021

Servings: 8

Difficulty: Easy

Print This

Using any kind of pesto, bell peppers, pasta, onion, and olive oil, this simple Pesto Pasta with Peppers dish is a colorful and fresh tasting pasta meal to enjoy for lunch or dinner.

By: The Lakes

Ingredients

• 1 pound of pasta
• 3 chopped bell peppers
• 1 red onion
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 cup of pesto

Directions

• Step 1 Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Save 1/2 – 1 cup of the pasta liquid to add back to the dish shortly.
• Step 2 Heat the bell peppers and onion with olive oil in a pan over high heat, until the vegetables are softened.
• Step 3 Add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta liquid, and pesto to the pan with the bell peppers and onion.
• Step 4 Toss to coat and serve.
• Step 5 *Optional – Add shredded parmesan cheese on top.

If you enjoy this recipe, here are some others you might want to try:

Pasta Fagioli Soup – Pasta and Bean Soup

Italian White Bean Soup

Easy Pasta with Vegetables

Easy Pasta with Ricotta and Fresh Basil and Tomato

This is such an easy Spaghetti String Pie dinner recipe to make.  It is so easy to make, that we’ve made it twice in one week before.  A combination of ground beef, cottage cheese, onion, pasta, cheese, and spaghetti sauce make a hearty meal that the whole family can enjoy.  The secret ingredient are the eggs that bind the spaghetti, meat sauce, and cheese mixture together to make it easy to dish like a “pie.”  Waiting at least 10 minutes for the dish to cool will help the dish settle hard-and-fast.

Method:

After preheating the oven to 350 degrees, cook the one pound of ground beef and a chopped onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is browned and fully cooked.  Drain the fat.

Add a 16 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce to the meat mixture once it is cooked.

While the ground beef is cooking, boil and cook 8 ounces of spaghetti.  Drain the spaghetti. In a bowl, add the cooked spaghetti noodles, 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, and 2 -3 teaspoons of melted butter and combine them.

Add the mixture to a dish or pan.

Spread one cup of cottage cheese over the top of the spaghetti mixture.

Then, cover the cottage cheese with the ground beef and spaghetti sauce.

Sprinkle the top of the Spaghetti String Pie with mozzarella cheese (or any cheese that you have).

Bake the Spaghetti String Pie for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees until everything is heated through and the cheese melts.

Helpful Tips:

• Don’t skip the eggs!  This is what helps to bind everything together when the dish is cooled.  I have also found that adding an additional egg (3 eggs total), help the spaghetti to hold together even better.
• Let the Spaghetti String Pie sit and cool for at least 10 minutes.  As you can see in the picture above, I didn’t wait the 10 minutes (or possibly even more time) for the dish to cool enough.  It was just as delicious, but it definately didn’t have the “pie” texture when I cut into it to serve.
• This recipe is even better as leftovers.  Having time to fully cool, and sitting in the fridge overnight, allows the the Spaghetti String Pie to really be cut and served as if you were cutting through a “pie.”
• You can really use any kind of shredded cheese that you like on top.

If you like Spaghetti String Pie, here are a few other recipes you might like to try:

Mexican Ground Beef Pasta Bake

Lasagna Style Noodle Casserole

Ground Beef and Cream Cheese Pasta Casserole