Spaghetti and tomato sauce: a common go-to for the average college student. Every once in a while we decide to mix it up with some vodka or fettuccini sauce, but even with these alternatives, the meal gets a tad repetitive.

With these profound thoughts on my mind, I decided to take an alternative route and make a peanut based sauce. The sauce is simple, not too sweet, filling and delicious.

This recipe is for peanut broccoli linguini. If you’re a fan of Thai food, this recipe is for you. It’s a quick and simple dish with a sauce that will satisfy all of your Thai take-out needs.

I became dangerously obsessed with Thai food in high school. Unfortunately, I am no longer willing to pick it up due to a car accident in the parking lot of my favorite Thai place, which resulted in a chipped yellow pole and a three thousand dollar dent in the trunk of my new Rav4. After that, I felt the parking lot had bad karma.

Now, I don’t have to worry about that. I’m glad to have discovered a recipe that can substitute for my tofu pad thai.

The inspiration for the recipe came from a similar one from foodgawker.com, but with a few alterations I created this delicious, healthy and filling dinner.

I made the dish with tofu as a protein, but that could easily be substituted with chicken, beef or shrimp for those of you who are not soy lovers.

 

For the pasta:

1/2 pound of linguini

2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of canola or peanut oil

2 tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce

1 teaspoon of ginger powder (or 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger)

Salt

Tofu or other protein

For the sauce:

1/3 cup of natural peanut butter

1/2 cup of hot water

1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce

2 tablespoons of molasses

1/4-1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper (to taste)

 

Cooking Directions:

Cook the pasta with salt in a large pot on high heat until al dente.

In a large saucepan, cook the broccoli in one tablespoon of oil for about two to four minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring evenly over the broccoli, and cook until slightly softened but still crispy.

To make the sauce, stir together 1/4 cup of hot water and peanut butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining water.

Once these three components are prepared, combine them and then add the tofu or other protein.

Garnish with peanuts and scallions

Enjoy the variety of exciting flavors!

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