Dan Dan Noodles

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.04)

1 lb. ground pork ($4.29)

4 garlic cloves (minced,, 1 Tbsp $0.24)

2 tsp fresh ginger (grated, $0.07)

1 cup frozen spinach (thawed & squeezed dry, $0.32*)

1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.05)

1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.03)

½ cup soy sauce (4 oz., $0.42)

¼ cup rice vinegar (2 oz., $0.49)

3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (48g, $0.21**)

2 Tbsp chili crisp (or chili oil,, 1 oz. $0.67)

2 Tbsp brown sugar (24g, $0.06)

1 lb. thin spaghetti ($0.98)

6 green onions (sliced, $0.72)

⅓ cup dry roasted peanuts (crushed,, 48g $0.27)

Directions

Prep

Gather and prep all ingredients.

Cook

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining and set noodles aside.

Brown

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and press down without moving it for a few minutes to get a nice browned, slightly crispy base.

Fry

Stir in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, and spinach. Stir-fry quickly until fully combined and heated through. Remove from heat.

Mix

In a large mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, chili crisp, brown sugar, and about half of the reserved pasta water. Mix until smooth.

Coat

Toss noodles in the sauce, adding more pasta water*** as needed. The sauce should coat the noodles evenly without being thick or gloopy

Crush

Place peanuts in a sealed ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin until coarse. Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle or a food processor.

Serve

Divide dressed noodles evenly among serving bowls. Top each with a portion of the pork mixture, sliced green onions, and crushed peanuts. Serve immediately****.

Nutrition

• Calories: 980 kcal
• Total Fat: 42 g
• Sodium: 2180 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 106 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7 g
• Protein: 45 g