Make this easy vegetable lo mein recipe with a handful of vegetables, or with whatever veggies you have on hand!
Nourishing and light, it takes less than 30 minutes to come together. With minimal prepping, this easy stir-fried noodle dish loaded with fresh vegetables and bold flavor.
The term lo mein comes from the Cantonese meaning “stirred noodles”. An authentic vegetable lo mein recipe includes egg noodles and often contain vegetables and choice of meat.
We’d especially would love to know if you have tried this recipe, tag us on Instagram or Facebook so we can see your beautiful dish.
What Is Lo Mein Sauce Made Of
Traditionally, Lo mein sauce is a combination of soy sauce, chicken broth, oyster sauce, and cornstarch. This combination helps the sauce to provide a strong rich and savory flavor to the noodles.
In this recipe, we have altered the flavor and used ingredients that are most available to us in our region.
Included in this lo mein sauce are the following ingredients
- Sugar
- Tamari, brewed soy sauce low sodium
- Sesame oil
- Ground ginger
- Water
- Cornstarch (optional). The cornstarch will help to make the sauce thick.
When the sauce is added to the pasta, it will get quickly soaked up. Double the sauce for this vegetable lo mein recipe if you like more of “wet” noodles.
The exact recipe with measurements are found in the recipe card below. Here’s a quick guide to help you make your vegetable lo mein dish perfectly every single time.
Included in this lo mein stir noodles are the following ingredients:
- Ramen noodles
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves, minced
- White mushroom slices
- Bell pepper
- Carrot
- Sugar snap peas
Add the oil to the wok or large sauté pan. Stir-fry the vegetables: mushroom, peas, and carrots. Cover and allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the peas and carrots are tender over medium heat.
Next, add the garlic. Continue to cook and stir to mix well.
Add the cooked al dente noodles, then add the lo mein sauce. Add the red or bell peppers, stir well to mix. Cook for an additional 2 minutes on low heat.
What Noodles Are Used For Lo Mein
Lo mein noodles are fresh or dried egg noodles.
Not all noodles are clearly stated or labeled as “lo mein”. If you would like to use the fresh noodles, I recommend buying it the day you are ready to prepare your dish.
The precooked noodles, in my experience, tend to become pasty when not sitting in the refrigerator.
Although the precooked fresh noodles saves time, we recommend that you follow the instructions on the label to make sure that you enjoy your noodles to its highest standard.
You can also use fresh Chuka soba, ramen (as used in this recipe), and yakisoba as acceptable substitutions for this vegetable lo mein recipe. Thick Italian spaghetti are good options as well.
If using dried noodles, be sure to cook the noodles al dente. Next, rinse the noodles with cold water to stop the cooking process, and drain well before adding it to the vegetable wok.
For this recipe, we used 1 lb. of noodles as our family is large.
Use whatever you have on hand and/or skip what you don’t have. Here are a few easy ways to change your lo mein up.
Please be mindful that some of the ingredients listed below are simply suggestions. They are not authentic to lo mein recipes.
For true authentic vegetable lo mein recipes, please conduct some research. These are various ingredients we have included into our dish from time to time.
- Use bok choy.
- Use whichever mushrooms you have on hand. Mushrooms and carrots work well together.
- Add more bell peppers and consider adding in cherry tomatoes, zucchini, or green beans. In this recipe, we used sugar peas.
- Use leafy greens, like spinach or chard.
- Consider using bean sprouts.
- Garnish bowls with finely chopped sesame seeds, parsley, basil, or Chinese chives.