Healthy Pad Thai Recipe
Healthy pad Thai is a light yet substantial stir-fry noodle dish, and bursting with savory-sweet-sour flavor. In my homemade version, we omit the peanut butter, sugar, and soy sauce altogether, and instead build flavor using ingredients like peanuts, honey, and fresh veggies - maximum flavor without the sacrifice. And it's ready in 20 minutes!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time5 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 493kcal
large skillet
medium saucepan
- 8 ounces fettuccine-width rice noodles
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Cook noodles one minute less than suggested cooking time on package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, ginger, lime juice, sesame oil, salt, pepper, honey and vinegar, and red pepper flakes (if using), and set aside.
Put remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add eggs to pan; once they begin to set, scramble them until just done. Add cabbage and bean sprouts and continue to cook until cabbage begins to wilt, around 3-5 minutes.
Add drained noodles to pan along with sauce. Toss everything together to coat with sauce and combine well. When noodles are warmed through, serve immediately. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro.
- How to store: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don't recommend freezing this dish as the noodles will be hard to reheat with the same texture.
- Cook noodles al dente. To be safe, cook your noodles 1 minute less than the suggested cooking time on package. We don't want overcooked noodles!
- Rinse noodles under cold water. This stops the cooking and prevents the noodles from sticking together.
- Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman.
Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 521mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg