Mung bean sprouts are a traditional veggie to find in pad thai. However, the store was out of mung bean sprouts. I thought this represented a perfect opportunity to demonstrate substitution of ingredients on the blog in this vegan spaghetti squash pad thai. It happens in real life, so why not here?
Instead of mung bean sprouts, I decided to swap in shredded carrots. Maybe not as traditional, but just as delicious, and represents what every home cook needs to learn to truly master your craft. Deal with the unexpected and find a solution. A good life lesson as well.
The sauce for pad thai is traditionally sweet with lots of tang. This is what makes it different from other Asian dishes. Tamarind is a traditional sweet and tangy sauce that is used in pad thai, but it’s not found at most grocery stores.
To find tamarind sauce, you’ll most likely have to shop at a specialty store. Therefore, I did not use it. I used brown sugar and lime juice to impart a sweet and tangy flavor, instead.
Variations to the Vegan Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai recipe:
- Pad thai usually contains fish sauce, which is not vegan. It can be added to this recipe if you’re not vegan, but go light. 1-2 tsp should be enough.
- Not into spaghetti squash? Try rice noodles instead.
- My spaghetti squash is way bigger than 1.5 lbs. What now? Increase the recipe. The leftovers will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days or try using leftover cooked squash strands as a base for a bowl meal.
- Not into tofu? You could try seitan or tempeh in this recipe as well.
- 1 lb spaghetti squash
- 1 TBS avocado oil (or other high heat oil)
- 8 oz block tofu
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 TBS minced ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots, from 1 large carrot
- 3 TBS reduced sodium tamari
- 2 TBS lime juice
- 2 TBS brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp sriracha
- Cut spaghetti squash in half and cook spaghetti squash by roasting in the oven at 400 F for 20 minutes, or microwaving for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pat tofu dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add tofu, sprinkle with seas salt, and fry until golden brown, stirring to flip once or twice.
- Mix together all ingredients for the sauce.
- Add ginger, garlic, and green onions to the tofu and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Once cooked, shred spaghetti squash into noodle like strands with a fork.
- Mix the shredded carrots, spaghetti squash, and sauce into the skillet with the tofu. Toss to combine and serve hot.
