Creamy Cashew Noodles: A 15-Minute Dinner

This is a weeknight dish that needs few ingredients. The sauce is made from cashew butter, which gives the noodles a creamy, nutty coating without any cream. You can make your own with our guide to cashew butter, or use a jar from the shop.

200 g noodles or spaghetti, 3 tablespoons of cashew butter, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, juice of half a lime, 1 clove of garlic (grated), 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, a pinch of chilli flakes, a few tablespoons of warm water, and a cup or two of quick-cooking vegetables such as sliced carrot, beans, cabbage or spring onion. To finish, a handful of roasted cashews.

Cook the noodles as the pack says, adding the vegetables for the last minute or two, then drain, saving a cup of the cooking water. Meanwhile whisk the cashew butter, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and chilli with the warm water until smooth and pourable. Toss the hot noodles and vegetables with the sauce, loosening it with a splash of the cooking water if needed.

Scatter chopped roasted cashews over the top just before serving, so they stay crisp. Our Oven Roasted Cashew is perfect for this. A fried egg or some grilled chicken or tofu turns it into a bigger meal.

The sauce takes two minutes and can be whisked ahead. Keep it in a jar in the fridge for a day or two and loosen it with warm water before using, since cashew butter thickens when cold. That means dinner is just a matter of cooking the noodles and vegetables and tossing everything together.

Cashew butter varies from brand to brand and batch to batch, so adjust to the jar you have. If the sauce is thick and clumpy, whisk in warm water a teaspoon at a time. If it is thin, add a little more cashew butter. If it tastes flat, a bit more lime juice or soy sauce usually fixes it, and a pinch of sugar rounds off the salt.

Toss the sauce with the noodles while they are still hot. The starch in the noodles and the hot water in the pan help the sauce cling.

Add a fried egg, pan-fried tofu, grilled chicken or prawns, or a handful of cooked beans. Rice noodles or wholemeal spaghetti both work, so use what you have. The recipe contains soy sauce and cashews, so check labels if anyone eating has an allergy or avoids gluten.

Swap the lime for a splash of rice vinegar, add a spoonful of honey for sweetness, or use leftover rice instead of noodles. For a hotter version, stir in a little Deviled Cashew crushed on top. More ideas are in our cashew recipes. Quantities are a guide, so adjust to taste.