I often make my family’s favorite restaurant dishes at home including zesty Thai basil chicken, hearty almond chicken stir fry, sweet and sour pork and this delicious and easy veggie lo mein. When I order take out, I always get an order of vegetable lo mein. I love those long noodles mixed with plenty of veggies! I’ve since learned how to make this dish at home, and it actually happens to be quite simple to put together.
Vegetable Lo Mein Ingredients
This recipe contains an assortment of ingredients, many of which can be found at your local grocery store.
Vegetables: Typical veggies in lo mein include carrots, onions, celery and cabbage. I add more vegetables to increase the flavor and add a boost of color. Some of my favorite additions include red bell peppers, mushrooms, bok choy, zucchini or green beans. Noodles: I find that fresh noodles work best, such as Asian style egg noodles. Many grocery stores sell Asian noodles in the refrigerated area of the produce section, or you can purchase them at an Asian market. The noodles I buy are labeled as Shanghai noodles. If you can’t find fresh noodles, dry noodles will also work well. Check your grocery store’s international foods aisle for dry noodle options. Sauce: The sauce for this dish is a blend of vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. I add a bit of corn starch so that the sauce clings to the noodles.
How Do You Make Vegetable Lo Mein?
First, place onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers and cabbage in a pan or wok. Cook the veggies until they’re tender, then stir in some fresh garlic. Add your cooked noodles to the pan, then make the sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and the corn starch. Pour the sauce in the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer until it has just thickened. Garnish the dish with green onions, then serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips For The Perfect Dish
I use a mandoline to thinly slice my carrots, onions, celery and cabbage. This helps the vegetables to cook quicker, which means dinner is on the table in no time! Vegetable lo mein will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the noodles will continue to absorb the sauce as they sit in the fridge. Lo mein sauce contains hoisin sauce, which is a jarred sweet and savory Asian condiment. It is commonly available in the international foods aisle of most grocery stores. Can’t find Asian style noodles at your grocery store? Spaghetti will work in a pinch.
Flavor Variations
This dish is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to make the flavors your own.
Protein: Add some diced, sauteed tofu to your lo mein to turn it into a hearty main course offering. If you eat meat, you can also add chicken, shrimp or beef. Vegetables: The sky is the limit here! You can pretty much add any vegetables you want such as bean sprouts, snap peas, edamame, broccoli, water chestnuts, snow peas or bamboo shoots. Sauce: Add some freshly grated ginger to the sauce for extra zest. Love spicy food? Stir in sriracha, red pepper flakes or chili garlic sauce to taste. You can also add some sesame seeds to the sauce for more texture.
You’ll find yourself making this vegetable lo mein on a regular basis – it’s loaded with flavor, and a great way to get in all your veggies!
