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Easy, quick-cooking (30 mins), Saucy Cilantro Lime Tahini Noodles with Honey’d Sweet Potatoes. These are the perfect saucy noodle to enjoy any night of the week. Warm rice noodles tossed in a spicy, slightly salty cilantro-lime tahini sauce and served with honey roasted sweet potatoes and vibrant greens. These noodles are colorful, healthy, and beyond good. Incorporate this into your weekly dinner rotation and enjoy the leftovers (warm or cold) for lunch the following day.
One of my favorite easy dinners to make on busy nights is a bowl full of extra saucy peanut noodles. It’s a recipe I’ve been making since my early days of cooking, though over time I’ve really simplified the ingredient list and process.
Recently, however, I’ve been enjoying incorporating tahini (ground up sesame seeds) into more recipes. Not only is tahini a great alternative for anyone with peanut allergies, it’s also just as delicious as peanut butter. Of course, the flavors are different, but each is special and unique in their own way.
Tahini is much more of a neutral flavor and can be used in a variety of recipes. I’ve been getting creative with it and using tahini to create creamy salad dressings and sauces. But I’ve yet to do the obvious and make a saucy tahini noodle. Until now. And you guys? While these noodles took some extra effort to perfect, they’re insanely delicious, super easy, and healthy too. If I wasn’t in LA tonight, I would surely be making a bowl on my Instagram stories…but don’t worry, as soon as I return home I will. I am already looking forward to it.
These noodles are so good. The perfect warm, saucy, but healthy noodles to enjoy while cozied on the couch after a day of travel.
Here are the steps.
This recipe comes together quickly and requires a base of mostly pantry staple ingredients…with the addition of sweet potatoes, greens, fresh basil, and cilantro.
You’ll want to start with the sweet potatoes, as they take the longest time to cook. But while the potatoes roast, get to work on the noodles. The noodles come together in minutes and require almost no cooking.
Once the potatoes are done, toss on the greens, and put it all together. Simple. Simple.
Now, let me tell you about the sweet potatoes…
These sweet potatoes are extra special. I didn’t just roast them with salt and pepper. Instead, I decided to roast them the addition of sweet honey and spicy chili flakes. You guys know me and you know my favorite combo is salty, spicy, plus just a little sweet. So this is a very natural pairing for me.
As the sweet potatoes roast, the honey caramelizes on the edges creating the perfect crispy on the outside, but soft (almost buttery) inside. Truth? The sweet potatoes alone are reason enough to make this recipe. I find them to be addictingly delicious.
My best piece of advice when it comes to the sweet potatoes? Double this portion of the recipe. Honestly…these sweet potato rounds are like candy, you won’t be able to stop eating them.
While the potatoes roast, make the noodles.
The base of the noodles is made up of mostly pantry staple ingredients…tahini, soy sauce, chili paste, and plenty of ginger and garlic. It’s blended together, tossed over warm rice noodles, and finished with a touch of lime juice, fresh basil and plenty of cilantro too.
The tahini keeps the sauce creamy and slightly nutty, while the soy sauce adds just the right amount of saltiness. I find the fresh herbs to really tie everything together and complete the Asian inspired flavors.
Finish it up…
Finish this dish up with my favorite toppings…sliced cucumber, toasted sesame seeds, roasted peanuts, green onions, and a touch more cilantro, plus a little lime juice too.
It’s fresh, but cozy, and the easiest 30 minute dinner to make any night of the week. The added bonus to this recipe is that these noodles are great when enjoyed warmed or cold. This makes them perfect for Sunday meal prep or just enjoying the leftovers for lunch the following day.
I don’t love using the word perfect, but this recipe is pretty close to it. It’s heavy on the noodles and sauce, a little spicy, but balanced with the perfect amount of sweetness and crispiness from the sweet potatoes. It’s made extra colorful (and healthy) with a good amount of greens. An all-around simple and easy dish to create. As I like to say, nothing not to love!
So…how about Thursday Night Noodles with a side of sweet potatoes? Mmmm!
Lastly, if you make these Saucy Tahini Noodles with Honey’d Sweet Potatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Saucy Tahini Noodles with Honey'd Sweet Potatoes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 469 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- 8 ounces rice noodles or long cut pasta
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chili paste (I use sambal oelek)
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale spinach or bok choy, chopped
- sliced cucumbers and toasted sesame seeds, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking, until the potatoes are caramelized. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the greens to the sheet pan and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until wilted. 2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package directions.3. Combine in a food processor the tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, chili paste, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 cup water. Pulse until combined and smooth, adding additional water as needed to thin the sauce. Pour the sauce over the hot noodles. Add the lime juice, basil, and cilantro, tossing to combine.4. Divide the noodles between bowls. Top with sweet potatoes and greens. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and finish with cucumbers. Enjoy warm or at room temp.
This post was originally published on March 5, 2020
These are crazy yummy! They have become a regular meal for our family. The sauce does need to be added to the noodles right at the end, or else it gets absorbed into the noodles instead of staying creamy. If I need to make it ahead, I keep the sauce separate from the noodles and then reheat and put on at the last minute. The sweet potatoes are like candy so yes, make double batches!
Hey Shelley,
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win. Have a wonderful day!
I love this recipe! The sauce is delicious and I often have the ingredients on hand.
Hey Christy,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Too salty and missing something.
Hi there,
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try!
Maybe the writer used full salt soy sauce instead of reduced sodium soy sauce. I did that once and it was very salty. Now I have low sodium soy sauce, and also replace some of the soy sauce with water (maybe 1/3) because I need to reduce sodium in our diet.
Just made this and now feeling very good about life! I subbed in glass noodles because I didn’t have rice noodles, and sadly omitted basil because I was out ~ but I can see how that would be a nice addition I wouldn’t have thought of. This recipe is just the right amount of spice as a warming food on a cold day ~ perhaps “medium” in the salsa scale of spicy. It also came together easily and made me feel pretty accomplished as it’s been a long time since I tried a new recipe. Thank you so much! Tahini is always a winner in my book. Always excited to see vegan and non-dairy recipes pop up on Half Baked Harvest, Tieghan!
Hey Leisel,
Love to hear this! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment! Have a nice day:) xxT
This was absolutely yummy! I took a big risk and cooked it the first time for a small dinner party and everyone raved about it. As the cook, I saw some flaws in what I did, so I’m sharing them here to maybe save others from making the same ones. I don’t think I used the “right” sweet potato. It was more red than orange… had I picked it out myself I probably would’ve selected better, but was in a rush, so Instacarted it. Still, they were delicious, though a little chewy – probably operator error. Next time I will bake it with more olive oil (I ran out) and keep an eye on how long I allow it to bake. 30 minutes should have been the max. Also, I don’t think next time that I will roast the kale? Not sure this was even the “right” kale – maybe next time I’ll use bok choy. It was too chewy and crispy. Baking it with the potatoes just didn’t give them the smooth and tender consistency shown in the images. Once I tossed it in with the noodles and sauce, that helped but not sure how I’ll do that next time. Maybe I over-roasted them as well? Also, I think next time I’ll use toasted sesame seeds. The ones I used didn’t add any flavor that we could tell. I used peanut butter – big hit! Smoooth and creamy sauce! I left out spicy items (chili flakes and chili paste) and it was still very tasty. But I think next time I’ll include chili paste to help thicken the sauce. It was a tad runny. Again, operator error. I added a tad too much water. I’ll definitely make this again, w/these minor corrections and tweaks. My guests truly enjoyed it. Comments: “This is the perfect blend of tastes!” and “best dinner you’ve ever made!” Thank you! Can’t wait to make it again!
Hey Stacy,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing all of your helpful notes! xT
So delicious for a week night dinner.
I couldn’t get chilli paste so I used sriracha and also added a bit of rice wine vinegar.
The meat centric husband really enjoyed it. This is going on our rotation of quick meals after work
Thanks Tieghan
Love your recipes
Marie, Birmingham UK
Love to hear this, Marie! Thanks so much for making this recipe! xx
Delicious! I kinda made a kitchen sink version of this, due to the snow storm that prevented a trip to the store! I didn’t have basil, cilantro or cucumbers on hand so I added red onion when I roasted the kale. Yum. Threw in some green onions too at the end. Made with 1/2 tahini & 1/2 peanut butter, as I prefer that. Didn’t have any sweet potatoes so used yukons – not as good as sweet potatoes but it worked. And! I had some packaged fresh ramen noodles I needed to use up, and those were great at absorbing all the delicious flavors of the sauce. Thank you for this great recipe. I’ll definitely make it again!
Hey Kris,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:) Thanks for sharing what worked best for you! xT
This is was so good! My whole family enjoyed it. I used red cabbage instead of cucumbers because that was what I had. It was really good and pretty too! Thank you for another terrific recipe!!
Hey Molly,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xx
Incredibly delicious. Another winning recipe in our household!
Hey Katie,
Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT