These vegan kimchi noodles feature spicy roasted broccoli and two forms of cabbage: fermented kimchi and crunchy, raw red cabbage. The noodles have a variety of textures and pack a big punch of flavor! This is a colorful, vibrant noodle dish to meal prep for you work week lunches.

I guess the more proper term for this recipe would be a kimchi noodle salad, but “toss” is more evocative of this past week and the cooking that happened within it: throwing things together, hoping for the best.

I made one pot of soup (the spicy cabbage, chickpea, and rice soup from Power Plates, which I called to my defense as I battled down yet another winter cold), but the rest of my meals have been hodgepodges and attempts to use up the things I’ve batch cooked, then forgotten were there.

One of those things was a giant tray of roasted broccoli. The broccoli itself was just about to move past its prime when I roasted it, but I wasn’t really sure how I’d use it once it was out of the oven.

I figured it would probably just go into bowls or get mixed up with pasta.

Pasta would have been fine, but this afternoon, I got to thinking about how much I’ve always loved broccoli in noodle dishes. I had soba, I had kimchi, and I had red cabbage that was also in need of quick use.

Throwing those things together is how this recipe happened, and it was so easy and tasty that I knew pretty much as soon as I mixed it all up that it was worth sharing.

The recipe happens in about fifteen minutes if you happen to have the broccoli pre-roasted, the way I did. If you don’t, it’s still pretty fast: you can boil the noodles while the broccoli roasts, and the dressing for the salad is just a few ingredients, which are easy to whisk together. I haven’t had a chance to taste the leftovers yet, but I have a strong suspicion that I’ll be happy with them when I dig in at lunchtime tomorrow. This will be a good candidate for packable lunches, when the time comes for me to get into that habit again!

Here’s the formula.

4.88 from 8 votes

Spicy Roasted Broccoli Kimchi Noodles

Author – Gena Hamshaw

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 medium head broccoli, thick bottom stem trimmed (about 1lb/455g)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 8 ounces soba noodles (225g; use 100% buckwheat soba noodles for a gluten-free option)
• 1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced or shredded red cabbage (75g)
• 1 cup kimchi of choice, roughly chopped (120g; check labels to ensure that your brand is vegan, and choose mild or spicy based on your preference)
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds (optional, for serving)

Instructions

Prepare the broccoli

• Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Break the head of broccoli down into bite-sized florets and pieces.
• Transfer the florets and pieces to the baking sheet. Drizzle the avocado oil over the broccoli and use your hands to mix it all up, coating the broccoli well with the oil. Sprinkle the broccoli with the red pepper flakes and a pinch of the kosher salt.
• Roast the broccoli for 25-30 minutes, or until it's browning and crispy.

Boil the soba noodles

• 10 minutes (or so) before the broccoli is ready, bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the soba noodles according to package instructions, then drain.

Toss together the broccoli kimchi noodles

• Transfer the roasted broccoli, noodles, purple cabbage, and kimchi to a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk together the sesame oil, tamari, and rice vinegar together. Add the mixture to the noodles. Toss everything together till it's all mixed well. Taste and adjust tamari and vinegar as needed.
• Top the noodles with sesame seeds, if using, and serve.

Notes

Leftovers will keep for two days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Normally I’d have schemed about extra herbs or seasonings I could add to this dish, but the beauty of using so much kimchi is that it adds plenty of acidity, heat, garlic, and saltiness all on its own.

Very little else is necessary once you’ve added it—so it’s a perfect shortcut for busy times. (There’s a kimchi fried rice in Power Plates that’s the same idea: my friend Ali shared it on her blog!)

I’ll keep rolling with the punches over here, doing my best to throw together spontaneous meals that are this tasty along the way. And I’ll be back for the weekend recipe and reading roundup. Be well, and happy almost Friday.

xo