Creamy, Fresh, Light, Vegan, Dairy & Gluten Free
A new family favorite. So unexpected to have so much texture, flavor and delight in a bowl of ramen noodles that’s low in fat, non-dairy and gluten-free. There’s also the added enjoyment of making and eating carrot noodles. When made with a julienne peeler and lightly cooked, you get to twirl the carrot noodles 
together with the ramen noodles on your fork. Plus, the pièce de resistance, the quickly made deep green, fresh and flavorful Miso Cilantro Pesto brings everything together with its abundance of fresh young greens, cilantro and umami-rich miso. While not a classic pasta al pesto, Miso Cilantro Pesto with Ramen, Carrot Noodles & Roasted Asparagus may easily become a favorite in your family, too.
Ramen Cakes
Have you yet discovered Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen noodles? These Japanese-style noodles are made from nutritious, easily digestible and gluten-free millet and brown rice instead of more traditional wheat.
Miso in Pesto?
My inspiration for this unusual pesto and ramen noodle pairing came from this article in Bon Appetit by Andy Baraghani. I had to try it. Then, I did it my way, adapting the pesto, the noodles and the vegetables. Thank you, Andy, for the inspiration.
Versatile Miso
Consider miso a culinary staple, a 
condiment, a spice, a seasoning and a flavor enhancer with many health benefits. Miso is an ingredient in recipes for everything from salad dressings, marinades, pastas, stews, spreads, dips and, of course, soups.
Miso is unusually rich in nutrients, partly due to the fermentation process which produces it. In addition, unpasteurized miso contains live lactobacilli bacteria, which both strengthens our immune system and enhances our body’s ability to extract nutrients from food.
The longer the fermentation time, the deeper the color of the miso and the more robust its flavor.
As a living food, miso needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Miso also has microorganisms that will not survive high heat, so it is best to stir miso into hot foods just before removing them from the heat, or to not cook miso at all.
Recipes for Miso Soup and So Much More
Try these recipes featuring umami-rich miso:
- Tofu Wakame Miso Soup and Dashi, Too
- Creamy Miso Soup with Veggies, Greens, Sobas
- Lime Miso Cabbage Slaw with Poblano Chili
- Broccoli Golden Cauliflower Salad with Fresh Ginger Miso Dressing
- Vegan Risotto Primavera
- Roasted Carrot Tahini Dip
Miso Cilantro Pesto with Ramen, Carrot Noodles & Roasted Asparagus
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy-Free
This recipe is easily doubled, tripled or more. Store leftover pesto in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Inspired by and adapted from a recipe from Andy Baraghani
Makes 2-3 servings Printer-Friendly Recipe
Total time about 45 minutes
Ingredients
Miso Cilantro Pesto
- 1 large garlic clove
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons white miso
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 packed cups cilantro leaves and stems (1 ½ ounces)
- 2 packed cups Power Greens (2 ½ ounces) or baby spinach
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ramen cooking liquid
Vegetables
- ½ pound medium fresh asparagus
- ¾ teaspoon olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ pound carrots cut into julienne slices with a julienne peeler or spiralizer
- 2 scallions thinly sliced on the diagonal, divided
Ramen Noodles
- 2 Millet Brown Rice Ramen Cakes or other ramen noodles
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Place an oven rack about 6 inches from the bottom of the oven. Bring about a quart of lightly-salted water to a boil in a 2-quart pot over medium heat.
- Prepare the Miso Cilantro Pesto: While the food processor is running, drop the garlic clove through the feed tube to mince it. Stop the processor to remove garlic from the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, cilantro leaves and stems, power greens, salt and olive oil. Pulse 3 times to break down the greens. Then, process until coarsely chopped. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the Asparagus: Line a rimmed baking pan with foil. Slice off the
bottom inch of each spear of the asparagus. Then use a Y peeler to peel the bottom 1 ½ inches of each spear. Slice the asparagus on a long diagonal into about 1 ½ inch segments. In a small bowl, toss the asparagus with the ¾ teaspoon olive oil and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Spread the asparagus in a single layer on the prepared baking pan. Once you have the carrots and scallions prepped, place the asparagus in the oven. Roast for 11 minutes. If you - can easily pierce the asparagus with a fork, remove the pan from the oven.
- Make the Carrot Noodles and Slice the Scallion: Use a julienne Peeler to prepare the carrot noodles. Thinly slice the scallions on a long diagonal. Set aside.
- Prepare the Ramen Noodles: after the asparagus is in the oven, bring the water for the noodles to a rolling boil. Add the noodles to the pot. Keep the heat high enough so that the water remains at a medium to low boil. After 1 minute, turn each block of noodles over. After another minute, use a fork to separate the noodles. Continue cooking the noodles for another 3-3 ½ minutes. Check the noodles. When al dente, pour the noodles into a strainer, saving the cooking water in a small bowl. Transfer the noodles to a medium bowl. Return the water back to the pot over medium heat.
- Complete the Pesto: Add 1 tablespoon of the cooking water to the food processor. Process until the pesto comes together and becomes smoother. Add the Cilantro Miso Pesto to the bowl with the noodles.
- Cook the Carrot Noodles: Place the julienne carrots into the boiling cooking
water. Once the water returns to the boil, cook the carrots for 1-1 ½ minutes until crisp-tender. Strain the carrots, and add them to the bowl with the noodles, along with two-thirds of the sliced scallions and the roasted asparagus (leaving most of the asparagus tips for garnish). Gently toss all together. - Serve Miso Cilantro Pesto with Ramen, Carrot Noodles & Roasted Asparagus topped with the reserved sliced scallions and roasted asparagus tips.