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Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·★★★★★5 from 1 review
Lo Mein isn’t just for eating at Chinese restaurants anymore! It’s for a quick weeknight side dish or a weekend lunch. Because guess what guys, it only takes about 25 minutes to make lo mein. Who knew?! I mean I always thought Lo mein was this sacred recipe that only Chinese restaurant chefs could make. Reality check, it’s super easy!!
Even though I don’t follow a gluten free diet I do usually opt for rice over lo mein when eating at a Chinese restaurant. I often find that pasta weighs me down and makes me feel all blood sugary. The solution is to make lo mein myself. The best part is that I used my new favorite pasta made from chickpeas! It’s higher in protein, fiber and lower in carbs than traditional pasta. Plus it’s gluten free soy free and all the things! Besides it just tastes really delicious! And this way I can share it with you guys because I love you and want you to have all of the best recipes! 🙂
Healthy gluten free lo mein made at home in only 25 minutes was born! Go us!
I may have gotten a little carried away with all of the veggies, you know me, go big with the veggies or go home, right?! I chose green onions, mushrooms, celery (for crunch), red bell pepper and frozen peas. But you could honestly chose any veggies you prefer. Snow peas, carrots, or bok choy would all be tasty options.
I have to confess that when I first had the idea to make gluten free lo mein I wanted to use zucchini noodles or some other type of vegetable noodle. The first time I tested this recipe I made it with the zucchini noodles and it was good but it didn’t feel like lo mein. The texture fell flat without the soft chewiness of real noodles. Sorry zoodles, I still love you for many other recipes, don’t you worry. Don’t you just love that there are healthier options out there now for pasta that contain veggies, like chickpeas and are higher in protein?
I know you’ll love this easy gluten free lo mein! Its soft and chewy from the noodles, packed with crunchy veggies, and topped with a perfectly salty sauce with a slight kick to it. My mouth is drooling over here!
For more Asian inspired recipes try my Lighter Orange chicken, Healthy General Tso’s chicken, and my Eggplant Green Curry with Chicken. Can’t get enough!
3 green onions, sliced (separate white/light green from dark green)
3 celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2cup frozen peas
8ounces gluten free spaghetti*
Sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce (or sub coconut aminos if avoiding soy, or tamari if avoiding gluten)
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
3 teaspoons sesame oil
2 inches ginger, grated
Optional 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
Instructions
Prepare the veggies: Chop all of the veggies as instructed above. The cooking process moves quickly so you want to be ready.
Mix the sauce: In a small bowl add all of the sauce ingredients and whisk until combined. OR shake in a mason jar. Taste and adjust as needed.
Cook the pasta: Start boiling the water for the pasta. Follow package instructions of how to cook. Cook the noodles just under a minute or two so there is still a bite on them. Drain and set aside when cooked.
Cook the veggies: Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat. Heat the oil and add the mushrooms and the white/light green onions. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are well browned. Add the celery and red bell pepper, saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and frozen peas, saute for 1 minute. Add in the cooked noodles to the pan along with the sauce. Toss to combine, remove from heat.
Serve: Garnish with the reserved green onions. Leftovers reheat nicely.
Notes
*You can use any kind of gluten free sapaghetti you find or have on hand but I really love Banza pasta. It’s made with chickepeas so it has more protein and less carbs than traditional pasta. Plus it’s gluten free and soy free!
The defining feature of any lo mein dish is the sauce, so make sure you take the time to get it right. Using dark soy sauce will give the lo mein color and a bolder taste while adding light soy sauce will give the dish some extra saltiness and flavor without staining the noodles darker.
Some common names will be lo mein, chow mein, egg noodles or pancit noodles. Most markets have Japanese yaki soba noodles in the cold case, and those would work perfectly. Spaghetti or fettuccini cooked al dente and rinsed in cold water and drained in a colander will also make a great lo mein.
Avoid: soy sauce (unless labeled gluten-free), oyster sauce, hoisin sauce; dumplings, egg roll or wonton wrappers (made of wheat flour); chow mein, lo mein, or other noodles made of wheat.
Give your lo mein a quick taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add more salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, or white pepper according to your preference. Plate your lo mein and serve with homemade chili oil or hot sauce on the side!
The best kind of restaurant-style stir-fried lo mein is subtle in flavor, with plenty of wok hei, the smoky flavor that results from the powerful flame of a restaurant wok burner licking up and over the back of the wok, singeing the oil and noodles.
Cornstarch is a fine, white powder processed from the endosperm of corn. The endosperm is the nutrient-rich tissue inside the grain. Corn is a gluten-free grain, and no other ingredients are typically required to make cornstarch. As a result, pure cornstarch — which contains 100% cornstarch — is naturally gluten-free.
Panda uses ingredients that contain all the major FDA allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, milk, soy and wheat). Panda prepares its entrees fresh with shared cooking equipment and therefore allergens could be present in any entree. Panda Express does not have any vegetarian or gluten free dishes.
Condiments such as soy sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, and gravy are often made with gluten containing ingredients, such as wheat, wheat starch or malt flavoring. Be sure to double check ingredients on condiments and sauces or look for gluten free varieties.
Traditional hoisin sauce recipes are gluten-free, but today most commercially available hoisin sauces are made with wheat, either to thicken the sauce or in added soy sauce. If you have celiac disease, only eat hoisin sauce labeled gluten-free.
Lo mein, meanwhile, is typically made with egg noodles, which are a better option than traditional white pasta thanks to an extra protein boost from the yolk. Its downside is the sky-high sodium from the soy sauce that the noodles are swimming in, but that's an easy problem to solve.
To achieve the smoky wok hei flavor found in restaurant stir fry you need a lot of heat. You need the kind of heat a commercial wok burner can generate, which is 250,000 BTUs. Your home stove burners put out about 15,000 BTUs on average.
“Lo mein usually uses the fat, chewy noodles, while chow mein uses the thin type of noodles that sometimes contain egg.” Lo mein uses fresh noodles that are boiled for a few minutes, while chow mein uses dried noodles that are parboiled for five to six minutes.
Largely this is a matter of personal taste since both dishes can be made to your preference. If you prefer lightly sauced noodles with some crunch and vegetables with some snap, chow mein might be the way to go. If you like a more comforting noodle with richly flavored sauce, lo mein may be the better option.
Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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