Carrot-Miso Noodles and Long Runs

Fifteen years ago, I lived in Germany for a short stretch, in a painfully boring town near the Dutch border.

What I remember most is the wide-open space and those endless long runs through cool, green countryside that practically begged you to keep going.

I think I ran more than 150 km (93 miles) a week during my time in Germany, simply because the scenery kept pulling me back outside.

When I wasn't running, we'd drive to Amsterdam. There was an Asian restaurant there that served several fantastic vegan dishes.

One of them was soba noodles with carrot-miso sauce.

A simple dish, but that wonderful sauce made it feel sophisticated.

It was orange, incredibly creamy, and perfect with the noodles and the soybeans scattered on top.

I remember trying every angle to track down the sauce recipe, even putting my broken German and Dutch to work. And believe me, they were broken.

Eventually, I managed to find the recipe. Here it is.

A Little About the Recipe

For this version, I used black bean noodles I picked up at the supermarket. They're high in protein and gluten-free.

You can use whatever noodles you like. I think this sauce would be great over rice, too.

I used dark miso to give the sauce a deeper, more dramatic color. If you'd like a lighter color, use light miso.

I also used tahini made from hulled sesame seeds rather than whole sesame seeds, so the sauce wouldn't get too dark. Whole-sesame tahini works, too.

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When to Serve It 

A serving of carrot-miso noodles makes a great post-workout dinner or a protein-packed lunch that feels a little special.

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Nutrition information by Noam Becher (an Israeli nutritionist and fitness coach) 

One serving of noodles with sauce, out of 4 servings, contains:

395 calories

28 grams of carbohydrates

30 grams of protein

18 grams of fat (including 3 grams of saturated fat)

Want another protein-packed meal? Click here.

Noodles With Carrot-Miso Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 13 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 250 g (8.8 oz) carrots about 4 small-to-medium carrots
• 1/2 cup dark miso paste about 4 tablespoons
• 1/4 cup tahini made from hulled sesame seeds — 40 g (1.4 oz)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 350 g (12.3 oz) black bean noodles or any legume-based noodles you like
• 1/4 cup cooked shelled edamame 40 g (1.4 oz)
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Start with the sauce.
2. Peel the carrots and grate them on a box grater.
   
3. Add the grated carrots, miso, tahini, vinegar, ginger, and water to a blender. Blend until the sauce is completely smooth.
   
4. Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
5. Place the noodles in a deep bowl, add the sauce, and top with the edamame.
6. Serve with a little carrot on top.

A Few Notes

Want an even lighter-colored sauce?

Swap the orange carrots for white carrots, and use white tahini and light miso.