Description
Takeout-style garlic noodles are a quick and flavorful dish made with spaghetti tossed in a rich buttery garlic sauce with soy and oyster sauce. This versatile recipe works beautifully with shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, tofu, or just vegetables. Perfect for busy weeknights, these noodles soak up the savory sauce and come together in about 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For the noodles
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 2–3 tbsp butter
- 1 small carrot, julienned
- ½ small onion, thinly sliced
- 1–2 handfuls shredded cabbage
Protein (choose one or more, cooked)
- 1 lb cooked shrimp (thawed if frozen)
- 1 lb cooked chicken (sliced or shredded)
- 1 lb cooked beef strips
- 1 lb cooked pork
- 1 lb tofu
- OR leave it out for a vegetable garlic noodle dish
For the garlic sauce
- 4–6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1–2 tbsp soy sauce
- ½–1 tsp sugar (optional)
- Black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup water
For finishing
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- Green onions, sliced
- Sesame seeds
- Sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to package directions until tender. Drain and set aside.
- In a small measuring cup, mix together the garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar (if using), black pepper, and water.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and cabbage and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add small splashes of the garlic sauce mixture as the vegetables cook.
- Add your cooked protein of choice and toss to combine. Add a small splash of the sauce mixture to coat and flavor the protein. If using cooked shrimp, heat just until warmed through to avoid overcooking.
- Add the cooked spaghetti and the remaining butter.
- Pour in the rest of the garlic sauce and stir-fry everything together for 2–3 minutes, tossing frequently, until the noodles absorb the sauce. The noodles should become darker in color and look less wet as the sauce cooks in.
- Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil.
- Serve topped with green onions, sesame seeds, and sriracha if desired.
Notes
This recipe is extremely versatile and works with many proteins such as shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, or tofu. You can also leave the protein out entirely for a vegetable garlic noodle dish.
If your pan starts getting crowded, you can cook the ingredients in stages. Cook the vegetables first and transfer them to a serving dish, then cook the protein, followed by the noodles. Mix everything together in the serving dish at the end.
This dish is great for serving family-style. I like to serve it on a 13-inch high-rim pizza pan so everything can be spread out and tossed together easily.
Mixing the garlic directly into the sauce helps prevent it from burning while cooking.
Sesame oil is strong, so only a small drizzle is needed.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired / Takeout-Style