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Vegetable Lo Mein - Dinner at the Zoo

This vegetable lo mein is fresh noodles tossed with an assortment of colorful vegetables in a savory sauce. A remake of the take out classic that takes like it came straight from a restaurant!

I often make my family’s favorite restaurant dishes at home including zesty Thai basil chicken, hearty almond chicken stir fry, and this delicious and easy veggie lo mein.

A serving bowl filled with vegetable lo mein.

When I order take out, I always get an order of vegetable lo mein. I love those long noodles mixed with plenty of veggies! I’ve since learned how to make this dish at home, and it actually happens to be quite simple to put together.

Vegetable Lo Mein Ingredients

Bowls of ingredients including chopped vegetables and seasonings.

This recipe contains an assortment of ingredients, many of which can be found at your local grocery store.

  • Vegetables: Typical veggies in lo mein include carrots, onions, celery and cabbage. I add more vegetables to increase the flavor and add a boost of color. Some of my favorite additions include red bell peppers, mushrooms, bok choy, zucchini or green beans.
  • Noodles: I find that fresh noodles work best, such as Asian style egg noodles. Many grocery stores sell Asian noodles in the refrigerated area of the produce section, or you can purchase them at an Asian market. The noodles I buy are labeled as Shanghai noodles. If you can’t find fresh noodles, dry noodles will also work well. Check your grocery store’s international foods aisle for dry noodle options.
  • Sauce: The sauce for this dish is a blend of vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. I add a bit of corn starch so that the sauce clings to the noodles.

How do you make vegetable lo mein?

First, place onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers and cabbage in a pan. Cook the veggies until they’re soft, then stir in some fresh garlic. Add your cooked noodles to the pan, then make the sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and the corn starch. Pour the sauce in the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer until it has just thickened. Garnish the dish with green onions, then serve immediately and enjoy!

Step by step photos showing how to cook vegetables and noodles.

Tips for the perfect dish

  • I use a mandoline to thinly slice my carrots, onions, celery and cabbage. This helps the vegetables to cook quicker, which means dinner is on the table in no time!
  • Vegetable lo mein will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the noodles will continue to absorb the sauce as they sit in the fridge.
  • Lo mein contains hoisin sauce, which is a jarred sweet and savory Asian condiment. It is commonly available in the international foods aisle of most grocery stores.
  • I prefer to use shiitake mushrooms for this recipe for a more authentic flavor. If you can’t find them in your produce section, try white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms.
Process shots showing how to make veggie lo mein.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between vegetable lo mein and chow mein?

Lo mein tends to use thicker noodles, and chow mein uses a thin noodle. Both dishes contain plenty of veggies, and seasonings such as garlic and soy sauce.

Why is it called lo mein?

Lo mein translates to tossed noodles, which is the basis of this dish.

Tongs in a pan of vegetable lo mein.

Flavor Variations

This dish is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to make the flavors your own.

  • Protein: Add some diced, sauteed tofu to your lo mein to turn it into a hearty main course offering.
  • Vegetables: The sky is the limit here! You can pretty much add any vegetables you want such as bean sprouts, snap peas, edamame, broccoli, water chestnuts or bamboo shoots.
  • Sauce: Add some freshly grated ginger to the sauce for extra zest. Love spicy food? Stir in sriracha or chili garlic sauce to taste. You can also add some sesame seeds to the sauce for more texture.

You’ll find yourself making this vegetable lo mein on a regular basis – it’s loaded with flavor, and a great way to get in all your veggies!

More Asian inspired recipes

A serving bowl filled with vegetable lo mein.

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Vegetable Lo Mein

This vegetable lo mein is fresh noodles tossed with an assortment of colorful vegetables in a savory sauce. A remake of the take out classic that takes like it came straight from a restaurant!

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. 

  • Add the onions, carrots, celery, cabbage, mushrooms and bell peppers to the pan and cook for 4 minutes or until just softened. 

  • Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

  • Add the noodles to the pan, then toss to combine.

  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and corn starch.

  • Pour the sauce into the pan and bring it to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute or until sauce is just thickened. Sprinkle with green onions, then serve.

Notes

  1. Vegetable lo mein will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the noodles will continue to absorb the sauce as they sit in the fridge.
  2. I find that fresh noodles work best, such as Asian style egg noodles. Many grocery stores sell Asian noodles in the refrigerated area of the produce section, or you can purchase them at an Asian market. The noodles I buy are labeled as Shanghai noodles. If you can’t find fresh noodles, dry noodles will also work well. Check your grocery store’s international foods aisle for dry noodle options.

Nutrition

Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 606mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g

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