Vegetable Lo Mein is an easy healthy meal that can be on your table in just 15 minutes! This Asian noodle dish is loaded with fresh vegetables and cooked in a minimal amount of oil. It’s the perfect recipe for using up leftover veggies from the fridge and for busy week nights. (I first shared this recipe on Real Housemoms where I was a contributor.)
I love going out to eat at Asian restaurants but I’ve found that I can make my favorite meals, like Vegetable Lo Mein, for a fraction of the price and in hardly any time. This meal comes together so quickly and it’s a delicious way to eat more veggies! For more vegetable loaded Asian dishes, try Crunchy Asian Broccoli Slaw, Udon Noodle Vegetable Stir Fry, and Meatball Veggie Ramen.
Vegetable Lo Mein
If you’re looking for more delicious ways to eat more veggies without adding loads of cheese or cooking them in loads of butter or oil, Asian meals like this Lo Mein are the way to go! The vegetables in this dish are simply stir fried in a tablespoon of olive oil until crisp tender and seasoned with a soy based sauce. Lo Mein is so simple, takes less than 15 minutes, tastes delicious, and is nutrient rich!
What is Lo Mein?
First off, “lo mein” means “stirred noodles”. The cooked noodles are added to the pan of vegetables and sauce at the very end and soak up the sauce when stirred together.
What is the difference between Chow Mein and Low Mein?
Both are Chinese-American dishes that are very similar. The difference between the two comes down to how they are cooked. They both use egg noodles that are pretty similar. Authentic chow mein noodls are fried crispy and lo min noodles are boiled until soft. In lo mein, the noodles are mixed with the rest of the ingredients in the dish at the very end. For chow mein, the noodles are add toward the end and cooked in the stir fry.
What kind of noodles are used in Lo Mein?
The noodles in lo mein and chow men are a Chinese egg noodle made up of wheat flour and eggs. You can buy Lo Mein Egg Noodles in the international aisle at your grocery store.
If you want a vegan option, I really like these Hakubaku Organic Ramen Noodles that I found at Harris Teeter. If you don’t want to buy a special noodle, Italian pasta like spaghetti or thin spaghetti works too.
How to Make Lo Mein:
- Start boiling your water for the noodles. Meanwhile, proceed with prepping the ingredients.
- Chop up all the veggies. This meal cooks very quickly so it’s especially important to have all your vegetables cut and ready to add when needed. Buying shredded carrots and pre sliced mushrooms you can save you some time on this step.
- Make the sauce. Mix together 4 ingredients- soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and sriracha. If you like a little heat add more sriracha.
- When the water is boiling, go ahead and add the noodles. Cook according to package and then drain.
- Heat up the oil in a non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Stir fry the mushrooms, bell peppers, and carrots for a few minutes, until almost tender. Add in the snow peas and garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds.
- Add the noodles to the pan of vegetables, pour on the sauce, sprinkle on some green onions and give it all a toss using tongs.
Can I add other vegetables to Lo Mein:
YES! You can really use whatever vegetables you want. This is actually a great meal to make when you want to clean the fridge out. Just grab all the veggies that are on their last leg and chop them up. Don’t have or like mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, or snow peas, use something else like broccoli, onions, zucchini, summer squash, spinach, snap peas… the possibilities of combinations are endless!
Can I add more protein to Lo Mein?
Definitely! You can add chicken, shrimp, pork, beef… Just slice it thin (not the shrimp) and stir fry it until cooked through. Remove it from the pan onto a plate while you cook the veggies and then add the protein back in when you add the noodles.
LOOKING FOR MORE ASIAN DISHES? CHECK OUT THESE:
- The BEST General Tso Chicken is delicious chicken tossed with veggies.
- Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp is a quick shrimp dish that is covered in a coconut curry sauce.
- Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles are a family favorite!
- Slow Cooker Thai Sweet Chili Chicken has that same great crispy texture thanks to the slow cooker.
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken can be made 3 different ways and taste so yummy!
- Mongolian Beef is a restaurant favorite made at home.
- Kung Pao Pastrami is a potatoes loaded Asian dish the family will love!
- Yum Yum Rice Bowls are so easy to throw together and have so much flavor.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS LO MEIN RECIPE:
- Non-Stick Fry Pans– I love these and use them for everything! Non-stick makes cooking and cleaning so much easier!
- Lo Mein Egg Noodles– These are the egg noodles typically used in Lo Mein dishes. You can also find these in the International aisle of your grocery store or a local Chinese market.
- Pot & Skillet Set– These are the skillets and pots I use. They have a heavy bottom making them sturdy and cook the food evenly. I use these multiple times a day.
Vegetable Lo Mein
Ingredients
For the Stir Fry:
- 9 ounces Lo Mein Egg Noodles or Ramen Noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup carrots, julienne
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup snow peas
- 1/2 red bell pepper, julienne
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 green onions, chopped
For the Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha, optional, more to taste
Instructions
- Mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Boil water and cook noodles according to package. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the snow peas, garlic, and ginger and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the noodles to the pan of veggies, pour the sauce on top, and toss it all together. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.
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