This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
This Thai-inspired peanut butter noodle casserole with tofu and a sweet and spicy creamy peanut butter sauce makes for the perfect easy one pot weeknight dinner. Gluten-free.
If you thought I was just making curry casseroles, well here is a noodle casserole! After I made this chickpea sweet potato curry I decided I needed another format for a delicious weeknight dinner that literally cooks itself in the oven. Baked Peanut Butter noodle Casserole. It’s almost hands free like most casseroles! No standing around sautéing or boiling noodles needed.
Rice noodles and tofu in a rich and creamy, sweet and spicy peanut butter sauce. Let’s just say I took a takeout-style noodle stir-fry where it’s never been before. This rice noodle dish trades in the wok for the casserole treatment, resulting in one of the easiest yet most flavorful weeknight dinners you’ll ever make. And by easiest, we mean you don’t have to bother pre-cooking the noodles or use more than one dish from start to finish.
Tofu gets baked with ginger and garlic then add the rest of the ingredients, water and noodles. Make sure noodles are submerged then bake.
I use thick rice noodles such as brown rice pad Thai or Thai rice linguini. You can use regular linguini as well. Bake time will be longer 35-40 mins
More noodle Dishes
- 1 pot Peanut Butter Noodles and Veggies GF
- Lo Mein Noodles. GF option
- Sweet And Sour Chickpeas and Broccoli GF
- Kung Pao Lentils GF
- Lentils & Veggies in Thai Peanut Sauce GF Soy-free
- Sticky Sesame Ginger Tofu and Veggies. GF
- Curry Ramen with Miso Maple Lentils. GF
Vegan Baked Peanut Butter Noodles Casserole
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu , , pressed at least for 15 minutes and then cubed or cut into whatever shapes you like
- 2 tablespoons green onion, the white part, keep the green parts for garnish
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the noodles:
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced bell pepper, red, green or both combined
- 4 tablespoons smooth peanut butter, , 1 tablespoon more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, , tamari for Glutenfree
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or sugar
- 2 tablespoon sambal oelek or asian chili sauce of choice
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 ounces rice noodles, I use pad thai noodles or thai rice linguini which are thicker and take longer to cook – the bake time will depend on the noodle used so choose accordingly
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
for garnish
- peanuts, green onion for garnish
- optional peanut butter for garnish
Instructions
- Add the oil to your baking dish (9 by 11 inch or similar size) and add in the tofu, green onions, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat so that the tofu is coated well with oil, and spread it around. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 c ) for 10 minutes or until the tofu is crisp to preference(depending on the tofu and pan this can take upto 20 mins)
- Then remove the baking dish from the oven. Mix peanut butter in 1 cup warm-hot water until well combined then pour that in slowly.(it’s essential to use warm hot water here, 1 to mix the nut butter,2, you are adding it to a hot dish and pouring in cold mix might crack it.)
- Add in the carrots, bell pepper, soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, sambal oelek, sesame oil, and mix well.
- Distribute the noodles all over and drizzle the rest of the 1 cup of the water over the noodles.
- Then put the dish back in the oven to bake. Cover the dish with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Check after 20 minutes if the noodles are done or al dente and then remove the dish because the noodles will continue to cook in the hot sauce after you take it out and you don't want to overcook the noodles.
- Add in the cabbage and toss well so that the cabbage softens a little bit with the heat of the noodles and the sauce.
- Taste and adjust salt and flavor by adding more salt or soy sauce and mix in. Add in some lime juice. Let sit for 2 minutes for the noodles to absorb more sauce then serve. Garnish with peanuts and green onion. Add a drizzle of softened peanut butter for additional peanut flavor if you like.
Video
Notes
- the exact baking time will depend on the type of noodle to use so check accordingly
- you can add in any type of veggie you like, thing snow peas, edamame, asparagus, baby spinach
- Use 1 cup coconut milk instead of 1 cup water for creamier
- Nutfree: use Sunbutter or wow butter . Use almond butter for peanutfree
- Stovetop: Cook the noodles according to package directions and set aside. In a skillet add the oil, tofu, salt and pepper and cook over medium high until golden. Then add the ginger garlic and carrots and cook for 2-3 mins. Add in the peppers, sauce ingredients and only 1/2 cup water. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add in the cooked noodles and cabbage and toss well to coat. Take off heat. Taste and adjust, garnish and serve
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- firm or extra firm tofu is best here – make sure to press it for 15 minutes. Silken tofu will not work here
- rice noodles – I used pad thai noodles or Thai rice linguini which are thicker and take longer to than other types of rice noodles
- green onions, minced garlic and ginger are fried along with the tofu
- veggies: I add a mix of carrots, cabbage and bell peppers
- peanut butter is used to flavor and thicken the stir-fry sauce. use almond butter or Sunbutter for variation
- soy sauce is added for saltiness, lime juice for tang, maple syrup for sweetness and sambal olek for spice
Tips:
- the exact baking time will depend on the type of noodle to use so check accordingly
- you can add in any type of veggie you like, thing snow peas, edamame, asparagus, baby spinach
- If you like your sauce extra peanut butter-y, stir in little bit more softened peanut butter right in the end.
- Let the casserole rest for 2 minutes. The noodles will soak up some more of the sauce and the flavors will have time to develop a bit more.
- Nutfree: use Sunbutter or wow butter
How to make Peanut Butter Noodle Casserole:
Add the oil to your baking dish (9 by 11 inch or similar size) and add in the tofu, green onions, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat so that the tofu is coated well with oil, and spread it around. Put it to bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-10 minutes or until the tofu is crisp to preference.
Then remove the baking dish from the oven.
Mix peanut butter in 1 cup of the water until well combined then add that in. Add in carrots, bell pepper, soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, sambal oelek, sesame oil, and mix well,
Distribute the noodles all over and drizzle the rest of the 1 cup of the water over the noodles.
Then put this back in the oven to bake. Cover the dish with parchment and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Check your 20 minutes if the noodles are done or al dente and then remove the dish because the noodles will continue to cook in the hot dish after you take it out so you don’t want to overcook the noodles right then.
Add in the cabbage and toss well so that the cabbage softens a little bit in the heat of the noodles and the sauce. Taste and adjust salt and flavor by adding more salt or soy sauce and mix in.
Taste and adjust salt and flavor by adding more salt or soy sauce and mix in. If you like it more peanut buttery, you can also add in a little bit more softened peanut butter at this point. Let it rest for 2 minutes. Garnish with green onions and then serve.
How to store baked rice noodle casserole:
You can store leftover peanut rice noodles in the fridge. In an airtight container, it should stay good for about 3 -4 days. So great for meal prep.
I made this casserole for dinner today, and it was marvelous! I was hesitant to bake uncooked noodles this way, but I think this method coated the noodles better than my previous stovetop method. The seasonings and spice were spot on to my family’s taste and I am absolutely sure this recipe will continue to be part of our cooler weather menu rotation. I’ll need to figure something out during the summer when I hate turning the oven on.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Perfection!
Since I was using an entire package of tofu, I doubled up on all of the other ingredients (except the rice noodles since I only had one package). I could have not increased the chili sauce and pepper. 🔥 🤣
Yay! Glad it worked out.
I love these flavors so I was looking forward to making this recipe.
I have had problems with pasta casseroles and getting all the pasta submerged to cook properly, but I stirred it thoroughly at the halfway point and it all cooked perfectly. Of course it was delicious, and my husband wants me to make it again ASAP. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Awesome!! So glad it worked out!
Made this yesterday and it was delicious! To be honest I was skeptical about cooking rice noodles in the oven in a casserole but I’m so glad I gave this a try, like all of Richa’s recipes, it did not disappoint! I think my casserole was a little large as the noodles didn’t fully submerge but about halfway through cooking I gave everything a little stir and everything turned out great. I’ll definitely make this again! I also love the Vegan Richa Start 2024 Challenge, I’m discovering so many of your recipes (like this one) that I have missed, would love to keep having a recipe (new or older) emailed to me daily!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the challenge!
Well, it doesn’t get much easier than this for a throw together casserole dish. I added some additional veggies. I didn’t have green cabbage on hand, but I did have purple. It’s reminiscent of an Asian takeout that you might pickup for a weeknight dinner. If you like tasty, quick, easy, fuss free, minimal time in the kitchen, this dish is for you!
So glad you liked it!
We all loved this. It was super easy to prepare and tasty and filling. I just threw it all intl a covered casserole dish. Thanks Richa.
My husband said that this is “restaurant quality” (that is a compliment!). My only problem was that not all of my noodles were submerged enough and didn’t cook through. I will make adjustments for next time.
Awesome! Use a deeper and smaller baking dish, so the liquid is higher in the dish
Made this last night and it was so good! Doubled the recipe to feed a family of 4, with a bit leftover. Took a little longer to cook because it was doubled, but it was so delish and couldn’t have been easier to make. Will be definitely be making this regularly! Love these one-pan casserole recipes so much.
yay! thank you! 🙂
We loved this. Flavors were fantastic! And prep and clean up were a synch. Thanks Richa.
Wonderful!
OMG! This was so freaking good! Hubby and I ate the whole thing in one night! Followed the recipe as written. I just love these one pot dishes!
Thanks for another easy, delicious and amazing recipe!
Happy Holidays Richa.
Hooray! Thank you, Chris.