Butternut Squash and Soba Noodles {vegan}

All the colors and flavors of autumn! You will love everything about this vegan butternut squash and soba noodle dish–the brown earthy noodles, the sweet orange squash, the ginger, tamari, and sesame oil seasoning, the eye-catching black squiggly seaweed, and the lucious protein-rich lentils. 

Boooo! Black squiggly things, bright orange cubes of squash, round rustic lentils, and long winding buckwheat noodles—altogether they fire up our tasters with salty and sweet, plus a pleasant savory umami flavor.

Do the skinny black squiggly strands look creepy? They’re arame, a mild tasting sea vegetable. You have to admit they fit a witches and goblins jack o’ lantern theme. Curling their way into the soba noodles, the dark strands taste sweet. Arame seaweed is super nutritious, loaded with iron, calcium and iodine. You know the nori seaweed you wrap around rice for sushi? Arame is also harvested from the sea.

The arame soaks and plumps in water for 5 minutes, and then it’s simmered in tamari-spiked water for double umami taste.

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How to make butternut squash and soba noodles:

• Cook the lentils with bay leaf, olive oil and salt and pepper. You can use French green lentils or black lentils. You can cook the lentils ahead of time and reheat them while you prepare the noodles, arame, and vegetables.
• Have a big pasta pot with boiling salted water at the ready for the soba noodles. I like my pasta cooker with strainer insert.
• Sauté the aromatic onion, garlic and ginger and steam the butternut squash cubes in a large skillet or wok. Fresh butternut squash—especially when you know the farmer—is first choice. To save time, you can substitute frozen butternut squash.
• When the aromatics and butternut squash are almost done, drop the soba noodles in the boiling water. When they’re done, toss everything together.
• Serve in a pretty bowl garnished with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

Butternut Squash and Soba Noodles recipe details:

• I used organic soba noodles containing both wheat flour and buckwheat flour—most soba noodles (affiliate link) are made with some wheat flour. If you’e avoiding gluten, look for soba noodles that say 100% buckwheat.
• Hijiki, aka hiziki, another sea vegetable, a tad bit thicker and with a more pronounced flavor, may be swapped in for the mild and sweeter arame.
• Inspired by and adapted from several different Deborah Madison recipes.

If you love butternut squash, you’ll want to make this rich chile-seasoned butternut squash pozole with creamy pink pinto beans and white hominy corn.

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Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Butternut Squash and Soba Noodles

Put on a costume and pull out the pots and pans! This black on orange meal is perfect for Halloween. You’ll love this combination of vegetables and noodles, for flavor, texture—not to mention the seasonal colors.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegan

Keyword: butternut squash, soba noodles, arame seaweed, green lentils

Servings: 6 servings.

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• ½ cup arame sea vegetable (see note)
• ½ cup black or French green lentils (see note)
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon sea salt , as needed
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 4 cups diced butternut squash, (3/4-inch) (1 medium)
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
• 8 ounces buckwheat soba noodles
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds , optional

Instructions

• Place the arame in a bowl and add water to cover. Let it soak 5 minutes to soften. Rinse and put in a small saucepan with the first tablespoon of tamari and about ½ cup of water. Cook on medium heat, about 10 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the lentils: Rinse, checking them over for little rocks masquerading as lentils. Put in a pot with water, bay leaf and the ¼ teaspoon of salt. The water should cover the lentils 2 inches. Simmer until tender, 20 minutes or so, until the lentils are tender to the bite—but not too soft. You want them to have some texture. Drain. Season with the first tablespoon of olive oil, some salt, and a generous grind of black pepper.
• Chop the green and white parts of the onions—keeping them separate.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a wok or large heavy-bottomed skillet. And the white part of the onion, the garlic, and the ginger. Cook and stir about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the butternut squash and the vegetable broth. Cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until the squash is just tender, adding more water if needed.
• While the squash is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles. Cook as directed on the package, until tender to the bite. Drain. Immediately place in a warm bowl, tossing with the sesame oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of tamari.
• Gently toss the noodles with the reserved arame, the lentils and the squash. Season with more ground pepper and tamari, to taste.
• Garnish with the chopped green onion and sesame seeds, if using. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Look for arame at natural food stores, Asian food stores, or online.
• French green lentils are easier to find, though black lentils add to the spook factor.
• Soba noodles usually contain wheat flour. If you can’t eat gluten, Eden Foods makes a 100% buckwheat pasta.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @lettyskitchen or tag #lettyskitchen

I first posted this recipe in October 2014. This is an update.