Meatless Monday: Noodles with Thai Peanut-Chili Sauce

Almost three months ago, after baby #2 was born (Has it been three months? I swear I had him last month. Weird.), my friend, Renee, stopped me in the hall at church and asked if she could bring me dinner the next night.  Not being one to pass up a free meal, I was more than happy to let her.

Sure enough, she dropped off a dish of steaming noodles and a loaf of coconut bread the next day (Did I mention that my friend is from Hawaii? The coconut bread was divine.).  Right after she left, my four-year-old and I looked at each other for a second and then dug in, slurping down the spicy, peanutty noodles. We somehow managed to stop and save some of the dinner for my husband, who was still on his way home from work.  Of course, I called my friend the next day to get the recipe.

I love this recipe for a number of reasons. One reason, as I've already  mentioned, is that it's totally delicious. It's also meatless, adaptable, and super-simple to make. It's a good summer recipe because it won't get your kitchen too hot and it only takes about 15 minutes to make. But I think I love it most because it's one of those go-to recipes that consists of things already in your fridge or pantry, making it a great frugal meal.

So without further ado, here's the recipe for this Meatless Monday...

Noodles with Thai Peanut-Chili Sauce

8 oz. linguine (I've used both regular and whole wheat. I also used a pound of spaghetti once.)
1/2 cup chicken stock (I know I said this recipe is meatless, but I figured chicken stock was kind of an exception since there's no actual meat in it. Plus, I had a bunch of my homemade stock in the freezer. That said, I'm certain vegetable stock would work just fine in this recipe.)
3 tablespoons peanut butter (feel free to adjust to your tastes and add more or use less)
1-2 teaspoons of chili sauce, like Sriracha (Again, adjust according to what you like. I used two teaspoons and it was spicy but no too hot for my little guy, though he's a little more tolerant of spicy foods than other kids. Start with the minimum and go from there-- you can always add more.)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Fresh ginger, about a 1-inch chunk, peeled and grated (tip: store fresh ginger in the freezer -- it keeps longer and is easy to grate)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Chopped green onions or chives, cilantro, chopped peanuts, limes

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, combine stock, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until peanut butter is smooth and all the ingredients are dissolved and melted together.

Drain pasta. Put cooked pasta in a serving dish or bowl. Add sauce. Toss until noodles are completely and evenly coated. Once the noodles are dished out on plates, top with chopped peanuts, green onions or chives, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.