Quick & Easy Lo Mein – Make this authentic tasting Asian noodle favorite ( in the Instant Pot or on the stove-top) in just 15 minutes! It’s healthier, customizable, and requires only one pan. This is also a great recipe for weekly meal prep options. {Vegetarian, Vegan, 15 Minute Meal}
Who doesn’t love a big plate of slurp worthy noodles smothered in a tasty garlic ginger soy sauce with crisp tender veggies?
No need for expensive take-out to satisfy that craving for Asian noodles. Make this homemade version of Lo Mein in the Instant Pot or on the Stove-Top in just 15 minutes.
Besides being fast and easy this Veggie Lo Mein meal is also very flexible. Change up the veggies according to what you like or have on hand.
How to Customize Quick & Easy Lo Mein
Here’s the beauty of this quick and easy Lo Mein recipe, you only need a couple of basics:
1) Noodles ( of course!) You can use authentic lo mein noodles ( found in many well stocked grocery stores or Asian markets) or regular spaghetti/linguine noodles. See notes below on preferred noodles for Instant Pot version of this recipe.
2) a TASTY soy/garlic/ginger sauce with a pinch of sweet (brown sugar) and a pop of heat (sriracha) to drench those noodles. Beyond those two basics, it’s entirely up to you how to put your perfect plate of noodles together.
I’m using appox. 5 cups of veggies in this recipe because to me that feels like the right ratio of veggies to noodles but you can scale that back or add more veggies depending on how you roll.
Change up any of the vegetables listed (bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli and snow peas) for other veggies you love or have on hand. Other options might include; spinach, cabbage, peas, bamboo shoots,broccolini, bean sprouts, bok choy, celery or scallions.
Want to add a protein? Try adding pork, shrimp, chicken, beef or tofu.
Tips for cooking Lo Mein in the Instant Pot
- When placing noodles at the bottom of the Instant Pot (in Vegetable stock) make sure to spoon liquid over noodles prior to adding vegetables.
- When laying vegetables on top of noodles, keep any delicate veggies ( like snow pea) at the top. Layer the heartiest ( like mushrooms and broccoli) at the bottom
- If your Instant Pot has the “keep warm” feature, make sure to turn off.
- It may be necessary to break up any noodles that “stick together” while cooking. Use tongs to break them up and incorporate the noodles and veggies together.
The Best Noodles to use for Lo Mein when cooking in the Instant Pot
When making this recipe in the Instant Pot, I recommend using either Spaghetti/Linguine noodles or Lo Mein noodles that contain egg or egg white. Some of the Lo Mein noodles I’ve tried that contain just wheat flour without the egg/egg whites are too dense and don’t cook thoroughly (although they work perfectly for the stove-top version).
Great for Weeknight Meals or Meal Prep
This truly is a meal that can come together in 15 minutes from start to finish in either the Instant Pot or on the Stove-top and stores well refrigerated for 4-5 days.
I recently bought these meal prep containers and am loving how easy it is to have everything ready for healthy lunch options (or dinner). The containers stack up nicely so they don’t take up too much room in the refrigerator and I just grab and go.
If you love Quick and Easy Asian Inspired Meals you might also try:
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil ( plus 1 tsp for stovetop version)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken broth) ( only for Instant Pot version)
- 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce ( or coconut aminos )
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp brown sugar ( or coconut sugar)
- ½ tsp Sriracha ( or hot chili oil) more or less, to taste
- 8 oz. lo mein noodles (or spaghetti/linguine) *
- 1 medium red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup julienne cut carrots ( matchstick)
- 1 cup snow peas
- Chopped green onions and/or sesame seeds for garnish ( optional)
- Cook noodles according to package directions. While noodles are cooking, whisk together sauce ingredients ( soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, sriracha). Set aside.
- In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned ( about 1 min.). Add vegetables and saute until crisp-tender ( about 5 mins.)
- Stir in sauce and cooked noodles and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, garnish with chopped green onions and/or sesame seeds if desired.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté function. Add sesame oil and garlic. Sauté until garlic is lightly browned (about 1-2 minutes) Turn off sauté function. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, sriracha and stir until well combined.
- Add spaghetti noodles to the bottom of the pot, use a spoon to make sure noodles are covered with liquid and layer bell pepper, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and snow peas on top of noodles.
- Lock Instant Pot and set vent to sealing. Set to Manual, high pressure, 5 minutes. (noodles will be al dente and vegetables will be crisp tender - if you wish more fully cooked noodles and vegetable set to 6 minutes) Make sure “Keep Warm” feature is turned off (if your Instant Pot offers this feature)
- When finished cooking, Quick release pressure. Stir noodles to absorb any remaining liquid and break apart any noodles that may have stuck together. Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped green onions and/or sesame seeds if desired.
Use Spaghetti/Linguine noodles for Vegan option
I made it tonight! Very delicious!
I added 1 T cornstarch to the broth mixture before putting the noodles in. It thickened up the sauce. I also replaced snow peas with green beans because that’s what I had on hand. It all worked and came out great! I even tried it with Asian noodles to see for myself, egg free. Yes, they came a tad harder than al dente, but they softened to al dente as I let it sit. I also added May Wah TVP beef strips, which I cooked separately and than added after it was done. YUM!!!
Thank you for sharing! Adding to my rotation of Instant Pot recipes. I’m a new user, too, so I was psyched to have success.