Looking for a quick, healthy and filling weeknight dinner or weekday lunch? These steak noodle bowls are bursting with crunchy snow peas and cucumber and topped with a tangy miso lime dressing. All this goodness in less than 30 minutes.
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A summery salad of cold pasta, steak, crunchy mangetout and cucumber dotted with mint and cilantro is just the thing for a quick dinner or weekday lunch.
Which steak to buy
I decided to make this lean flank steak recipe. Flanks usually need a marinade to flavor them, but I left it out for this recipe to save a little time. There is a lot of flavor in the dressing that is added after the steak is cooked, which justifies skipping this step.
That means a quick sear on the stove is enough to get dinner going. Because it’s lean, flank steak isn’t as tender as other cuts of beef, but when seared quickly and sliced thinly across the grain, it won’t be tough. Its quick preparation should make the weekday cook happy.
The truth is that any leftover steaks, grilled or pan seared would work well in this recipe. So if you’re having a weekend barbecue, you could throw a steak at the barbie for cutting later in the week.
Look for wide rice noodles
Rice noodles are gluten-free and made with just rice flour and water.
I like the taste and texture of wide noodles. I happened to have these pan noodles on hand, but you can use any wide noodles you like. Most supermarkets stock rice noodles, but if you have an Asian food market near you, you’ll find plenty to choose from.
Rice noodles are sticky. If they clump together after straining and cooling, simply separate them with your hands by gently swirling them under cold running water.
The ingredients for the dressing
The lime miso dressing for this pasta bowl is salty (miso), a little sweet (brown sugar), spicy (ginger), and tangy (lime) for a zesty accompaniment to steak and pasta.
I prefer to serve it separately so each person can add as much or as little as they like.
make-ahead instructions
You can cook the steak, pasta, and veggies, and make the dressing up to four days in advance. Store them separately in the fridge to assemble when needed. The noodles may stick together. If this is the case, simply rinse them under cold water while separating them with your fingers.
How to assemble and serve
In a large bowl, toss the steak with the pasta and vegetables, add the herbs and toss again.
Serve in bowls with the dressing on the side and sprinkle each bowl with sesame seeds.
Looking for more bowl recipes?
- Simple Vietnamese-style bowls with chicken
- Soba noodle bowls with spinach and poached eggs
- Zucchini Pasta Chicken Pesto Bowl
- Thai noodle salad with peanut sauce
- Sesame Noodle Salad
Steak Noodle Shells with Miso Lime Dressing
ingredients
- For the miso lime dressing:
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1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
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1/2 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
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1/4 cup lime juice
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2 tablespoons of water
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1 tablespoon red, white, or yellow miso
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1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
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2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
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1/3 cup olive oil
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1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- For the salad:
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1 pound flank steak
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/8 teaspoon pepper
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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8 ounce wide rice noodles
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8 ounces sugar snap peas
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3 cups packed (4 ounces) baby spinach
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2 Persian cucumbers
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1/2 cup packaged mint leaves, shredded or chopped, plus more for garnish
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1/2 cup coriander leaves wrapped, torn or cut, plus more for garnish
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sesame, for garnish
method
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Make the dressing:
In a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, pulse the ginger and garlic until finely chopped. Add lime juice, water, miso, soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, and sesame oil. Mix or process until smooth.
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Prepare steak:
Pat the steak dry and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In a cast-iron or non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the steak and cook 3 minutes or until browned. Flip and cook on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the steak reads 135oF for medium-rare.
Set aside and let rest for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the pasta. (The temperature will rise a few degrees while the steak rests.) Slice thinly across the grain.
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Clean sugar snap peas:
Remove and discard the stem end and string from each of the pea pods. (Note, if you don’t mind the strings, you can skip this step.)
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Boil pasta and peas, collapse spinach:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and add the pasta and peas. Cover the pot and let it rest for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, place the sugar snap peas (they will float on top of the pasta) in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
Cover the pot again and let the pasta soak for another 4 to 5 minutes. (See package directions for the exact total time for the brand of pasta you’re using.) Stir in the spinach leaves, which immediately wilt a little. Drain the pasta and spinach in a colander, rinse under cold water and drain again. Place in bowl with sugar snap peas.
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Arrange and serve the salad:
Add the cucumber, mint, cilantro and sliced steak to the bowl with the noodles. Throw to combine. Taste and add more salt if you like. Divide among four bowls and sprinkle each with more mint, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Serve the dressing on the side so each person can add as much or as little as they like.
