Thai Peanut Noodle Lunch Jars

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

To make Thai Peanut Noodle Lunch Jars, cook the base ingredients in stages, bring the sauce together, and finish while the noodles still have some life in them. This version keeps the pan glossy and the texture from going slack.

Jump to Recipe

The most useful thing about a noodle jar is not that it looks organized. It is that the dressing stays where it belongs until lunch. Peanut sauce goes on the bottom, sturdy vegetables sit above it, noodles and protein follow, and delicate herbs or greens stay at the top where they do not spend six hours marinating into surrender.

This version uses rice noodles or spaghetti with a creamy peanut dressing built from peanut butter, soy sauce, lime, sesame oil, honey, and chile, plus crunchy vegetables and the toppings listed in the recipe. Pack the jars tightly enough to travel but leave enough room to shake everything together before eating. If the sauce thickens in the refrigerator, a small splash of water loosens it. The result is a lunch that tastes fresh instead of like Sunday’s meal-prep enthusiasm was punished by Wednesday.

Prep20 minutes

Cook25 minutes

Total45 minutes

Serves4 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

8 ounces rice noodles or spaghetti
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 to 4 tablespoons warm water, to thin
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken or cubed cooked tofu
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts, for garnish
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

1Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cool water to stop the cooking, and toss with a drizzle of oil to keep them from sticking.
2In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce is pourable but still coats a spoon.
3In a large bowl, toss the noodles with about half the peanut sauce.
4Divide the sauced noodles among 4 jars or meal-prep containers as the base layer.
5Layer the chicken or tofu, carrots, cabbage, and bell pepper on top of the noodles in each jar.
6Drizzle with the remaining sauce, or pack it in a small separate container to add right before eating. Top with green onions, peanuts, and cilantro, and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 4 servings.

580Calories

36 gProtein

63 gCarbohydrates

21 gTotal Fat

4 gSaturated Fat

7 gFiber

13 gTotal Sugars

880 mgSodium

60 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Rinse the noodles after draining to stop them from cooking further and to keep them from clumping together in the jars.
Thin the peanut sauce with warm water, not cold -- warm water blends more smoothly into the thick peanut butter.
Pack the sauce separately if you're prepping more than a day ahead, and add it right before eating so the noodles don't get soggy sitting in it.

Substitutions

peanut butter → almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a peanut-free version Use the same quantity; sunflower seed butter has a slightly different but still nutty flavor.

rice noodles → spaghetti or soba noodles Any noodle works; adjust cook time per the package.

rotisserie chicken → cubed cooked tofu or shredded cooked shrimp Use about 2 cups either way.