Buckwheat Soba with Butternut Squash, Smoked Tofu, and Cilantro

The flavor combo of this dish is very intriguing. This pasta features onions, butternut squash, smoked tofu, and cilantro in a light miso broth. Sounds weird huh? Weird but really really good. What I like about this dish is that you can really taste all the different flavor elements – and they do actually work together.

This recipe comes from Vegetable Heaven by Mollie Katzen but I changed a few things. Mainly I used cilantro instead of basil because basil season is over and I also added garlic for a little extra flavor. This recipe is going into my favorites box (the one in my head) and I will be making this again in the future. It doesn’t hurt that this is a very easy dish to put together either!

Buckwheat Soba with Butternut Squash, Smoked Tofu, and Cilantro
Adapted from Vegetable Heaven

Ingredients:

1 heaping tbsp white or yellow miso
1 ½ cups hot water
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 large onions, sliced
½ tsp salt
4 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ - ½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 small butternut squash, diced
8 oz smoked tofu, diced
½ cup cilantro, chopped (or basil)
8 oz buckwheat soba noodles

Directions:

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Combine miso and water in a small bowl and mix well.

In a large, deep skillet, sauté onions in oil for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Add salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered for 10 minutes.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté for 1 minute. Add butternut squash, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until tender.

Add tofu and miso/water mixture. Cover and simmer for a few minutes, or until noodles are done.

Add noodles to pan and cook until everything is heated.

Turn off heat and toss with cilantro. Serve.