Linguine with Snow Peas, Cucumber, and Peanut Sauce

• Recipe by Quick From Scratch Vegetable Main Dishes

Ingredients

1. 2 cloves garlic
2. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 1/3 cup peanut butter
4. 2/3 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth, or homemade stock
5. 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
6. 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
7. 3/4 teaspoon salt
8. 3/4 pound linguine
9. 1/2 pound snow peas, cut diagonally into thin slices
10. 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts (about 1/4 pound)
11. 2 scallions including green tops, chopped
12. 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
13. 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, chicken broth, lime juice, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Puree until smooth.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until almost done, about 9 minutes. Stir in the snow peas and bean sprouts and cook until the vegetables and pasta are just done, about 3 minutes more. Drain and toss with the peanut sauce, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the scallions, cucumber, and 1/3 cup of the peanuts. Serve with the remaining peanuts sprinkled over the top.

Notes

Though they’re certainly edible, the seeds from a mature cucumber can be somewhat watery. You can simply scoop them out of a halved cucumber with a spoon and discard them—or buy an English (hothouse) cucumber, which is almost completely seedless.