Healthy Asian Noodle Recipes

Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle dish made with rice noodles and meat, and served in a flavorful, clear broth with a multitude of garnishes. For this recipe, we've used unsalted beef broth seasoned with garlic, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, and clove. Star anise and ngo gai (culantro) are also commonly used to flavor the broth. It simmers for just 15 minutes, becoming infused the flavor of the spices, but broth for traditional pho may simmer for hours. For garnishing, we've lined up bean sprouts, scallions, basil, chiles and lime, but you could also use cabbage, mint or cilantro. One of the best parts of this dish is how customizable it is.

This stir-fry is on the table super fast thanks to quick-cooking vegetables, par-cooked noodles, cooked shrimp and teriyaki sauce.

Sauces made with heavy creams are loaded with calories and saturated fat. This recipe uses a peanut sauce that has all the richness of a cream sauce but with heart-healthy fats instead. Be careful--if using a store-bought sauce, check the ingredients list for added sugars!

In this zippy pork stir-fry we cut the bok choy into long, thin strips to mimic the long noodles. We like Japanese soba noodles because they are made with buckwheat, which gives them a nutty flavor and a boost of fiber. You can also use mild-flavored rice noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti. Serve with sliced cucumbers dressed with rice-wine vinegar and a glass of sauvignon blanc.

In this healthy curry laksa, a popular Southeast Asian noodle soup, chicken, coconut milk, tomatoes and tons of warm spices make this a flavorful favorite. While there are a lot of ingredients, the leftover soup is even better the next day for lunch.

A delicious balance of sweet, sour and salty flavors complements rice noodles and chicken in this quick and easy pad thai. We trimmed calories and boosted flavor by cutting back on the sugar you'll find in many restaurant versions. As with any stir-fry, be sure to have all your ingredients prepped before you begin--the steps move quickly once the cooking starts.

Make these delicious, healthy dan dan noodles with a sesame-soy sauce, shrimp and peanuts in just 30 minutes. The Sichuan preserved vegetables add a bright pop of tangy, slightly fermented flavor. Look for them at an Asian market if you want the most authentic flavor or substitute kimchi.

Transform your leftover holiday brisket into a warming soup. Coating the brisket in a savory, glossy sauce before adding it to the broth gives this soup extra chutzpah.

This vegetarian udon noodle bowl can be ready in just 30 minutes. It's a perfect weeknight meal, quick and incredibly satisfying.

You won't miss the scrambled eggs and fish sauce in this vegan version of the Thai favorite because the flavorful sauce hits just the right balance of sweet, spicy and umami.

This healthy version of the classic Filipino noodle dish pancit bihon has plenty of vegetables, along with chicken and pork. And since it comes together in about a half-hour, this traditional party food can do double duty as an easy weeknight dinner.

Soba noodles are made with whole-grain buckwheat, upping the fiber count in these brothy bowls and adding nutty flavor. Thick and chewy udon noodles make a good alternative.

Make your own cup of instant soup at home with this Korean noodle recipe. Pack several jars at once to take to work for easy lunches throughout the week.

This healthy pad thai recipe has less than half the calories and sodium of the traditional Thai-restaurant favorite. Look for dried wide rice noodles, sometimes called “Pad Thai noodles” or “straight-cut,” in the Asian-food section at most supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Serve with sliced cucumbers with a rice vinegar and cilantro vinaigrette.

A touch of chile-garlic sauce and hot sesame oil add heat to this delicately flavored salmon soup without being overpowering.

In this Sichuan dan dan noodle recipe, Chinese black vinegar lends authentic flavor to the creamy sauce. If you can't find baby bok choy, use about 1 pound of mature bok choy sliced into 1- to 2-inch strips. Serve with your favorite hot sauce, such as sriracha, if desired.

Skip takeout and make a healthier Chinese lo mein at home that's packed with vegetables. Make sure you drain your noodles well before adding them, as wet noodles will turn your stir-fry into a soggy mess. For a less spicy option, omit the sriracha hot sauce.

Crisp-tender veggies cooked in a sweet Asian sauce and served with noodles and tofu is a refreshingly different slow cooker dinner. Removing the excess moisture from the tofu helps it soak up the sauce, giving the unassuming ingredient full flavor.

This Japanese-inspired dish uses one sauce--a sweet/salt combination of mirin and miso--to make both the marinade for the scallops and the caramelized pan sauce for the noodles. A good pairing would be a simple green salad dressed with a citrus vinaigrette.

A splash of coconut milk and some curry powder elevate ordinary ramen soup into a memorable bowl of noodles. Add protein with cooked shrimp or cubed tofu and a pop of freshness with cilantro and lime juice. To cut back on sodium, look for ramen varieties with less than 600 mg sodium per serving or use less of the seasoning packet.

Ginger, edamame, and peanuts complete this healthy take on Pad Thai noodles.

Whether you have celiac disease or are just watching your gluten intake, you'll love this easy Asian-inspired bowl recipe. Chunks of sesame chicken, crisp-tender vegetables, and rice noodles are combined in broth with an orange and soy flavor that's simply out of this world.

This Asian-inspired beef stir-fry recipe is loaded with crisp-tender vegetables and served over spaghetti with a sweet orange-teriyaki sauce. If you don't have spaghetti noodles in your pantry, substitute soba noodles, rice or quinoa.

Green tea soba noodles, or cha soba, are buckwheat noodles made with powdered green tea, which imparts a subtle grassy note and pretty color. You can find them in Japanese markets or online. Regular buckwheat soba noodles work just as well in this cup-of-noodles-style mason jar noodle soup.