This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.
Thai Peanut Sauce Skillet Pasta is a meatless meal that’ll leave you satisfied! The homemade peanut sauce is so good you might lick the plate!
If you’re having a “Hey! Isn’t this chick super into bacon?!” moment… you’re not wrong. But today we’re mixing things up with a crazy good Thai Peanut Sauce Skillet Pasta. It’s a one-pot meal you can keep meatless for a delicious plant-based dinner or swap out for chicken if you have leftovers from the night before.
What’s a skillet pasta? It’s a pasta you cook in the sauce in the skillet instead of boiling the pasta separately in its own pot of water. Fewer dishes. Awesome, right?! They only thing better is all the bold flavor in this dish!
“So, what’s up with the meatless meal Julie?”
Glad you asked!
Mike has been going to the gym again now that they’re open. He’s watching what he eats and trying to get more protein in the mix. So I’ve been on the hunt for some new meal ideas. When I saw the O Organics® red lentil pasta during my Albertsons shopping trip the wheels in my brain started turning.
The boys grabbed some Open Nature® honey almond butter and inspiration hit. Creamy, slightly spicy peanut butter sauce has been one of my favorite things ever since I had it on pizza. Throw in fresh veggies and herbs and we’re in business! I swapped out peanut butter for almond butter and no one even noticed. Boom.
While pasta by itself is great, Mike needs extra protein and something “meaty” with his pasta. So I grabbed a box of O Organics sweet potato veggie patties. The colors matched and we like sweet potato, so why not?
I ran this recipe idea by my sister-in-law and she gave it a big thumbs up. She’s my meatless meal option guru. Now we’re having an awesome better for us Meatless Monday dinner that had the husband giving two thumbs up. Total dinner win.
I love that I can trust O Organics product to be non-GMO, 100% USDA-certified organic, and even have gluten-free options… like the red lentil penne I used. O Organics and Open Nature brands have extensive lines of “better for you” plant-based products including non-dairy milk alternatives, nut butters, and frozen ingredients, meal solutions, and desserts. They make it so easy to add a plant-based meal to your weekly menu!
Ingredients for Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe
- Vegetable oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
- Open Nature honey creamy almond butter – you can swap out for your favorite creamy peanut butter or nut butter
- Honey
- Rice vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Water
- O Organics red lentil penne pasta – long pasta works great too if you prefer
- O Organics sweet potato veggie patties
- Carrots
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- Dry roasted peanuts
How to Make Peanut Sauce
- Start by placing a large deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Then add some vegetable oil to the skillet.
- Once the oil is hot, you can add in the ginger and garlic. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to stir the garlic so it doesn’t burn. Cook this for 30 seconds to 1 minute until it’s fragrant.
- Next, remove the skillet from the heat. Pour in the soy sauce, almond butter, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Place your skillet back on the heat and warm the sauce until it’s nice and smooth. The sauce is going to look brown for a little bit while the almond butter melts. Don’t worry!
- After the sauce is ready, pour in the water to thin it out and stir. You’re cooking your pasta right in the sauce and there needs to be enough liquid for it to absorb. Then pour in the pasta and give it a stir in the sauce.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer. Then you’ll cover the skillet and reduce the burner heat to medium-low. Cook the pasta for 12 to 15 minutes until it’s al dente. You’ll want to give things a stir every 3 or 4 minutes to make sure nothing is burning or sticking to the pan.
- While the pasta is doing its thing, heat up the veggie patties. I used out microwave to keep things quick, but you can cook them in the same skillet before cooking the garlic is you prefer. After the patties are cooked, cut them into small pieces.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, check the seasoning of the sauce and add salt and pepper to your taste. Then add the veggie patty pieces and stir them into the sauce.
- At this point, you can serve the pasta family-style or divide it into individual portions.
- Now all you need to do is garnish! Divide the carrots, cilantro, green onions, and peanuts between each pasta bowl and serve warm.
Looks kind of amazing right?
Mike doesn’t usually like cilantro, but he was totally into it. AND if you have that cilantro/soap thing going on, just skip it. No harm done.
With the wide variety of plant-based products available exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores (including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb, and Vons) I’m getting all kinds of ideas to change up our dinners. The best part is, I can grab what I need during my weekly shopping trip. Or there are grocery delivery or Drive Up & Go™ options to fit whatever is most convenient for me that day!
Want some more delicious meatless meal options?
- Instant Pot Fajita Burrito Bowl
- Brown Rice & Apple Salad
- Grilled Cheese alla Vodka
- 7 Layer Salad (without the bacon)
- Broccoli Cheese Soup (with vegetable broth)
- More dinner recipes
Thai Peanut Sauce Skillet Pasta
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup Open Nature honey creamy almond butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups water
Pasta
- 8 ounces O Organics red lentil penne pasta
- 2 patties O Organics sweet potato veggie patties
- 1 carrot peeled and shredded
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts chopped (see note)
Instructions
- Place a large deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Add oil to skillet.
- Once oil is hot, saute ginger and garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add soy sauce, almond butter, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to skillet. Stir until almond butter has melted and sauce is smooth. (It will look broken for a little, don't worry.)
- Pour water into sauce and stir until peanut sauce has thinned. Pour in pasta and stir. Bring sauce to a simmer.
- Cover skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer pasta for 12 to 15 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and sauce has thickened. Stir the pasta every 3 minutes or so to make sure the sauce doesn't burn. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
- While pasta is cooking, place two veggie patties on a plate and microwave according to package directions. Chop into small pieces. Add patties to pasta once finished cooking and stir to coat in sauce.
- If serving family style, top pasta with garnish now. Otherwise, portion pasta into serving bowls. Top with carrots, cilantro, green onion, and peanuts. Serve warm.
Notes
- Since we're using almond butter, you can absolutely swap chopped peanut fro chopped almonds if you prefer. Peanuts are the more traditional option.
- This recipe yields 2 large servings of pasta or 3 moderate portions.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Dustin says
Wow, this recipe looks like it’ll be so delicious to make for myself! I’ll have to try it out one of these days. Thanks for sharing. 🙂