Vegan Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Mushrooms

Vegan rice noodles with crispy pan-fried tofu, shiitake mushrooms, edamame and a spicy, umami sesame glaze. Such a flavorful one-pan dinner!

This post is sponsored by Le Creuset. All opinions are our own.

How are we feeling about weeknight dinners these days? Too busy to make anything? Ordering out too much? Meal prepping occasionally?

Over the last few months, every week has been different for me. Some weeks, I have the energy to plan out (and actually make) a full week of meals. Other weeks, it's takeout every night.

I'm admittedly not the best at planning. When I don't, I'm way, way less likely to actually cook a real dinner. But when I do plan, I find it SO much easier to stick to my goals, and my husband and I eat much better food!

The key for me is nailing down a list of simple, approachable, flavorful meals that I'll want to make over and over again. For me and my husband, that means a lot of curry dishes, soups, and easy one-pan meals like these vegan rice noodles.

My husband is not vegan, so it also means I often have to prepare two meals. To keep things as simple as possible, I usually make the same base meal and then split it in half at some point, keeping one half vegan and adding meat or dairy to the other half.

It's especially easy to do that with recipes like these vegan rice noodles. He's perfectly happy with everything but the tofu, so I simply cook a separate protein for him in another pan. The base stays the same, so it's not much more work. And we're both happy!

With crispy tofu, umami shiitake mushrooms, edamame and a delicious sesame soy glaze/sauce, this is definitely not a boring weeknight dinner. Whether or not I'm following an exact recipe, I make some iteration of this at least once a month. It never fails, and it always makes for great leftovers!

How to make crispy tofu

There are many different ways to make tofu extra crispy and delicious, many of which involve a lot of oil and deep frying. While we certainly love fried tofu, we like to keep things a bit simpler, less messy and healthier in this recipe.

Since we're not deep frying this tofu, it doesn't get totally crispy, so keep that in mind. The exterior does, however, get nice and caramelized, and it's really easy to achieve!

The most important step is to press your tofu before pan-frying. To do so, remove the tofu from its packaging, drain, pat dry, then wrap in a clean dish towel. Place something heavy on top, like a skillet or a cookbook, and let it drain for at least 30 minutes.

This recipe calls for a quick tofu marinade. So yes, we're adding some moisture back in, but the main goal is to add a ton of flavor. As long as you've pressed out most of the natural moisture from the tofu, it won't get soggy or fall apart in the pan.

We used our Le Creuset Nonstick Fry Pan to pan-fry the tofu. Let me tell you - it is FANTASTIC. 100% the best nonstick pan I've used in years. It heats quickly and evenly, it has a safe, nontoxic surface and it doesn't chip or flake. It's also dishwasher safe (yay!!) and incredibly easy to clean.

It's perfect for just about anything you might make in a skillet, including these vegan rice noodles. The tofu gets crispy and doesn't stick (!!), and even with a sticky glaze, the pan was super easy to clean.

If you already have Le Creuset cookware in your home, you know how fantastic and high quality their products are. If you don't, we really can't say enough good things about their entire range of products. They are absolutely our favorite cookware pieces, both for style and utility!

Recipe notes & substitutions

This vegan rice noodle recipe is pretty easy and straightforward, but here are a few answers to FAQs and substitution ideas.

• Rice noodles - we used brown rice noodles in this recipe. They're naturally gluten free, quick cooking and taste great! Feel free to sub with white rice noodles, soba noodles, or even ramen or udon.
• Note about cooking rice noodles: they cook very quickly, and they stick together easily. Pay close attention to the cooking instructions, and immediately rinse them in cold water after cooking to prevent sticking. Wait to cook the noodles until everything is almost ready so you can immediately add to the skillet.
• Mushrooms - we used shiitake mushrooms, but feel free to substitute with a more common variety like button mushrooms. Oyster or maitake mushrooms would be great, too!
• Tamari - we use low-sodium tamari to make this dish completely gluten free. If you're not gluten free, feel free to use regular soy sauce.
• Edamame - it's easiest to buy frozen shelled edamame for this recipe. Let it defrost for 15 minutes before adding to the recipe.
• Ume Plum Vinegar - an optional ingredient. It has great flavor but can be hard to find. Feel free to sub with more rice vinegar.
• Coconut sugar - a touch of coconut sugar helps balance the sauce. Feel free to substitute with brown sugar or a liquid sweetener like agave.

More Easy Weeknight Vegan Dinner Recipes

• Teriyaki Mushroom Bowls
• Creamy Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
• Vegan Asian Lettuce Wraps
• Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Vegan Sushi Bowls with Miso Tahini Dressing

If you make these Vegan Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Mushrooms, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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