I love a dinner that’s easy enough to throw together even when I don’t feel like cooking! It often seems like the moment you most want to sit down and put your feet up at the end of the day is when it’s time to get in the kitchen and make all your hungry family members some food.
This super quick and easy Pork & Vegetable Lo Mein recipe not only doesn’t take long, but it’s also easy to double (and good) for leftovers! So skip your favorite Chinese restaurant this week and make this easy recipe instead.
What Is Lo Mein?
Lo Mein is a Chinese dish consisting of sliced vegetables, noodles, and a protein (such as meat or shrimp) all tossed together in a savory sauce to create a super easy one-dish meal. There are a lot of variations, and I hope your family enjoys this one as much as mine does!
Lo Mein vs Chow Mein
Many people tend to confuse the two because they look very much alike, but the main difference comes down to the way the noodles are prepared. Chow mein noodles are cooked during the stir fry process while lo mein noodles are cooked first and lightly mixed and tossed with other ingredients.
What to Add to Your Lo Mein
The beauty of this dish is that it works great when you’re cleaning out your fridge and need to use up the last of your fresh vegetables. While more traditional recipes call for ingredients such as bok choy, snow peas, bamboo shoots, and sesame seeds, you can create a simple, yet delicious variation using whatever you have on hand. You can also experiment with different proteins, like ground beef or sliced pork tenderloin.
How to Make Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein
It really doesn’t get any easier than this noodle dish for a Chinese Takeout substitute, especially on a busy weeknight. And you can find all the ingredients at your local grocery store instead of tracking down an Asian market or specialty store.
- Cook noodles according to the package directions and set aside with 1/2 cup of noodle water.
- Heat the sesame oil and then add the ground pork for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
- Make the sauce mixture by pushing the meat to the side and whisking in the reserved water, soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, and honey.
- Toss in the noodles and slaw, mix together, then garnish with choopped peanuts and green onions.
Pork and Veggie Lo Mein Ingredients
- Brown Rice Noodles – You can use either lo mein noodles or ramen for this recipe depending on what you can find or prefer.
- Toasted sesame oil – For a more authentic flavor, we use this to cook the pork instead of olive oil.
- Ground pork – We recommend local, humanely raised meat or Butcher Box.
- Garlic cloves – Peeled and minced, giving this dish a delicious savory flavor.
- Fresh ginger – Peeled and minced. Another must-have ingredient for flavor.
- Red pepper flakes – You can add more if you like a little more kick.
- Soy sauce – This will be the base for your sauce, we recommend low-sodium soy sauce.
- Peanut butter – Used to create a smooth and creamy sauce.
- Lime juice – We recommend fresh if possible.
- Honey – We use honey to sweeten up the sauce, but feel free to use maple syrup, too.
- Coleslaw – You can also cut purple cabbage into thin strips.
- Roasted peanuts – Chopped to add a nice crunch.
- Green onions – Chopped and used for garnish.
Other Asian Inspired Recipes
- Super Quick and Easy Fried Rice
- Easy Chinese Chicken
- No-Cook Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Super Quick Ramen Bowls
The main formula to remember is thinly sliced veggies + chopped/ground protein + noodles for any lo mein recipe. Don’t order Chinese takeout, make this easy Pork Lo Mein recipe at home instead!
Easy Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 10 ounces brown rice noodles (ramen or lo mein), reserve 1/2 cup noodle water
- 2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup noodle water reserved
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 8 ounces coleslaw mix can sub thinly sliced cabbage or other veggies of choice
For Garnish
- handful roasted peanuts chopped
- handful green onions chopped
Instructions
- Boil the noodles according to package instructions. When it's time to drain, set aside 1/2 cup of the noodle water to use in the sauce.
- Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork and cook while occasionally breaking up with a spatula until brown and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. You can drain some of the oil out at this point or leave it in for a richer flavor.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and red pepper and cook for another minute. Push the meat over to the side and whisk in the noodle water, soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, and honey until smooth.
- Briefly bring sauce to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the noodles and slaw (or cabbage).
- Garnish with peanuts and green onions and serve.
Love this quick and easy meal! Everyone in the family loved it. My 13 year old son had seconds and then 2 hours later asked if he could have more!
We love hearing this! – Nicole
Have you ever used Mirin? I wonder what that would taste like in place of the honey? As far as I can tell, the sweetness from Mirin comes from the fermentation process so would that make it a natural sweetener that aligns with a more Asian cooking than honey? Just a thought! Excited to try the recipe nonetheless!
We have not used it! – Nicole