Veggies and a sunflower seed butter-based Thai sauce take the stage for this easy Thai sweet potato noodle bowl recipe. Sweet potato noodles become the vibrant backdrop for bell peppers, cilantro, basil, and crunchy sunflower seeds.
Want to make it a full meal? Add some protein in the form of pan-fried or poached chicken breast!
Quick Look: Thai Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls
⏲️Ready In: 35 Minutes
🍽Servings: 4
🥗Nutrition: 382 Calories
🥘Main Ingredients: Sweet potato, Sunflower seed butter, Red bell pepper, Yellow bell pepper, Cilantro, Sunflower seeds, Basil, Fish sauce, Coconut milk
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Grain free, Nut free, Dairy free
⭐Why You'll Love It: An easy side dish with lots of flavor! Sweet potato noodles cook up quickly and a nut-free Thai sauce compliments the nutty warmth of sweet potato.
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Sunflower seed butter: my go-to swap for peanut butter
When I went paleo, sunflower seed butter quickly became my go-to swap for peanut butter in all manner of recipes. Frankly, the taste is much closer to peanut butter than any other nut or seed butter!
And when I say that I use it in all manner of recipes, I mean it.
Like peanut butter, sunflower seed butter can be used in sweet and savory recipes. Sunbutter Sweet Potato Brownies and Thai Cabbage Salad with Sunbutter Dressing are two of my faves on opposite ends of the spectrum!
Beyond the flavor (which is numero uno), sunflower seeds provide a dose of nutrients!
A few sunflower seed butter facts:
- Sunflower seed butter is high in Vitamin E, the body's main fat-soluble antioxidant.
- Sunflower seeds are a good source of magnesium, one of the most vital minerals in the body. Magnesium is important for bone health, muscle health, nerve health, and energy production, to name a few.
- Sunbutter sunflower seed butter has 7 grams of protein per serving and more vitamins & minerals than most nut butters
Sunbutter's home is in Fargo, ND, which is another reason I love the company. Of course, if you're new around here: I also live in Fargo!
Working with the leading sunflower seed butter brand, which happens to be located in my backyard, is simply amazing.
Sunbutter creates their products with US grown and roasted sunflower seeds. They promise their products are free from the top 8 allergens, including peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, eggs, wheat, fish, and crustacean shellfish. And uses only non-GMO sunflowers for their products.
How to make and prepare sweet potato noodles
Before we get to the recipe, we've got to talk about sweet potato noodles.
I'm guessing you've heard of a spiralizer by now. They were all the rage a couple years ago! If you haven't, it's a kitchen tool that allows you to turn veggies into noodles.
The crescendo of the trend may have passed by this point, but I'm deep in the throes of spiralizer love right now, which is how they became a big part of these thai sweet potato noodle bowls.
You can cook the sweet potato noodles multiple ways, but for this recipe you'll saute them in a hot skillet with plenty of olive oil.
You need olive oil so the sweet potato doesn't stick (if you find they're sticking to your pan, this is why)!
Then you'll keep tossing and turning the noodles with kitchen tongs for 5-7 minutes. It doesn't seem like a long time, but that's the sweet spot.
More Savory Sunbutter recipes
Did you try this Thai Sweet Potato Noodle Bowl recipe? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
📖 Recipe
Thai Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls with Sunbutter Dressing
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Spiralized
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
You'll need a vegetable spiralizer for these Thai Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls with Sunbutter Dressing. Add chicken for a protein kick!
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and spiralized
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
- ½ cup fresh basil, sliced into ribbons
- ½ cup toasted sunflower seeds
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 scallions, sliced
For the Thai Sunbutter Sauce:
- ½ cup sunflower seed butter
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or gluten free tamari
- ½ tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, more as desired
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more as desired
- ¼ cup coconut milk, plus more as desired
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potato noodles and bell pepper strips, working in batches as necessary so the skillet doesn't overflow. Cook for 5-7 minutes, tossing with pasta tongs frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in fresh basil. Split the veggies between 4 bowls and set aside.
- To prepare the sauce, add Sunbutter, honey, coconut aminos, fish sauce, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to a bowl. Mix until smooth. If mixture is too thick for your liking, add coconut milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. I like it pretty thick!
- Drizzle about ¼ cup of sauce onto each bowl. Garnish with sunflower seeds, cilantro, and scallions.
Miriam says
You mention to add red curry paste but that is not listed in the recipe. How much should be added?
Chelsea says
My mistake! I originally planned to include red curry paste in this recipe, but after testing decided to take it out. I've updated the recipe to reflect that. Sorry!
Miriam says
Thank you! Can’t wait to try the recipe. I had something similar at a local restaurant and wanted to try to recreate it.
Chelsea says
Awesome! Let me know how it compares!