Packed with fresh vegetables and Asian-inspired flavors, this Vegetable Lo Mein recipe is a healthy vegetarian dinner you’ll find yourself making again and again. Perfect for a weeknight or meal prep!
Vegetables are the perfect way to bulk up pasta or noodles for dinner. Did you know that two ounces is a serving size for most noodles? That is a paltry portion if you’re having noodles alone, but round things out by adding lots and lots of veggies and your meal will feel like a feast.
Case in point: this vegetable lo mein recipe. It’s a fresh and flavorful vegetable-forward dish with a rainbow of veggies, along with noodles and an irresistible sweet-and-savory sauce. You get a big, satisfying bowlful for each serving—and a whole lot of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants too.
(For more vegetable-forward pasta dishes, try my One Pot Pasta with Spinach & Mushrooms or Creamy Walnut Pasta with Butternut Squash & Spinach!)
Why You’ll Love This Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe
Here’s what makes vegetable lo mein a weeknight winner:
- Customizable. Consider this vegetable lo mein recipe a blueprint—you can switch things up based on what’s in season or what you have in your crisper drawer. Add green beans in the summer, asparagus in the spring, or shredded cabbage in the fall.
- Sweet, savory, and spicy (if you want it to be). The best Asian-inspired sauces have that perfect balance of sweet and umami flavors, and this vegetable lo mein delivers on that front. Plus, if you like your stir fried noodles spicy, you can add a little bit of sriracha for some heat.
- Quick and easy. There’s very little hands-on cooking time for this recipe, and if you take advantage of your grocery store’s salad bar, you can buy pre-cut veggies and save yourself a lot of prep work too. But even without that, you’ll still get dinner on the table in just over 30 minutes.
- Healthy. Vegetable lo mein is an easy way to pack a whole lot of veggies into a single meal!
What You’ll Need
Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need when making this vegetable lo mein. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact quantities for each ingredient.
- Sesame oil
- Green onions – You’ll need the crisp white ends for the stir fry; save the green parts for garnish.
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger – Fresh ginger has a warmer, more pungent flavor than dried.
- Red bell pepper – Orange and yellow have a similar flavor and can be used instead.
- Broccoli
- Shiitake mushrooms – Be sure to discard the tough stems.
- Carrot
- Snow peas
- Whole wheat spaghetti or lo mein noodles – Cook these according to the package instructions
For the Sauce:
- Low-sodium soy sauce, coconut aminos, or tamari
- Honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha
Toppings:
- Green onions
- Sesame seeds
How to Make Vegetable Lo Mein
Once you wash and prep your veggies, the hard work is done!
- Cook the aromatics. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the white parts of the green onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant and tender.
- Add the vegetables. Stir in the vegetables, cover the pan, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring often.
- Finish. Stir in the noodles and sauce, then season to taste and garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds.
Tips for Success
This vegetable lo mein recipe is easy, but these additional tips will help you make sure it turns out perfect.
- Cut the vegetables into uniform sizes. It’s easier to eat veggies that fit on your fork, but more importantly, this ensures that they’re all done cooking at the same time.
- Peel the ginger with a spoon—or not at all. The easiest way to peel fresh ginger root is to use the side of a spoon to scrape off the skin. But here’s another tip—you actually don’t have to peel ginger. Just give it a good scrub. The skin is edible and since you’re finely grating it anyway, it’s not noticeable in recipes.
- Drain the noodles well. If there’s a lot of water clinging to them when you add them to the veggies, you’ll water down the sauce.
Variations
Want to switch things up? Here are some ideas:
- Use frozen vegetables. Another shortcut for this vegetable lo mein recipe is to use a 24 ounce bag of frozen stir fry vegetables instead of fresh. This eliminates all of the prep work.
- Make it gluten-free. Use tamari or coconut aminos for the sauce, and substitute the pasta with your favorite brand of gluten-free spaghetti.
- Add protein. Cook your protein of choice in the skillet before starting the rest of the recipe, then add it back at the end of the cooking time when you’re stirring in the noodles and sauce. Some ideas include eggs, chicken, or extra-firm tofu. Alternatively, you can serve your vegetable lo mein alongside a cooked protein like Firecracker Salmon, Korean Tofu, or Grilled Pineapple & Tofu Kebabs.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover vegetable lo mein will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in a skillet set over medium heat or in the microwave. You can also eat vegetable lo mein cold.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Freeze vegetable lo mein in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat it according to the instructions above.
More Asian-Inspired Dinner Ideas
- Thai Coconut Curry Soup
- Almond-Sesame Soba Noodles with Zucchini
- Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry
- Asian Quinoa Bowls with Peanut Baked Tofu
- Rainbow Vegetable Quinoa Stir Fry
Vegetable Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- white ends of 4 green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic peeled and minced (approximately 3 garlic cloves)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and minced (approximately 1 inch)
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced (approximately 1 cup)
- ½ small head of broccoli cut into small florets (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms sliced (approximately 4 large shiitake mushrooms)
- 1 large carrot cut into matchsticks (approximately 1 cup)
- 1 cup snow peas
- 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti/lo mein noodles cooked and drained
Sauce Ingredients:
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce/coconut aminos/tamari
- 2 tablespoons honey/maple syrup/coconut sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
Toppings:
- Green onions sliced
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is heated, add the sliced white ends from the green onions along with the garlic and ginger to the pan. Saute for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant and the onions are slightly tender.
- Add the vegetables (fresh or frozen), cover with a lid, and cook until just softened, stirring often (approximately 10 – 15 minutes).
- Add the noodles and sauce and stir/toss repeatedly to coat. Taste and adjust with any additional soy sauce or sriracha if preferred. Top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Notes
- Fresh or Frozen Veggies: To save time on this recipe, substitute the fresh vegetables with a 24 ounce bag of frozen stir fry vegetables. Add all to the pan and cook in the same order and instructions as the recipe indicates.
- Gluten-Free Options: To make this recipe gluten-free, opt for tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. You can also substitute the whole wheat spaghetti/lo mein noodles with any type of gluten-free spaghetti you prefer.
- Protein Options: If you’d like to add protein to this recipe you can cook it in the skillet before starting this recipe then add it in with the noodles and sauce towards the end. I would recommend cooking 4 scrambled eggs, plant-based chicken, or extra firm tofu in a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and setting it aside to be added back in.
Nutrition
