Noodle Salad with Sliced Turkey Breast
Warm whole wheat noodles tossed with sautéed bell pepper strips, a soy sauce and olive oil dressing, and mixed greens. Sliced turkey breast on top, cold.
582 kcal with 70g of carbs from the whole wheat and 23g of protein between the noodles and the turkey. Ten minutes from boiling water to a full bowl.
Ingredients
- noodles, whole wheat 3 ounces
- bell pepper 1
- soy sauce 1 tablespoon
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- mixed salad 1 handful
- turkey breast, sliced 4 slices
Method
-
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package until tender.
-
Cut the bell pepper into long strips.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, half of the oil, and pepper to taste to make a dressing.
-
Heat the remaining oil in a sauté pan and cook the bell pepper for 3-5 minutes.
-
Stir the noodles, dressing, and lettuce into the bell pepper.
-
Divide the mixture into a bowl and serve with the sliced turkey breast.
Toss the noodles with the dressing while they are still hot from the pot. Warm noodles absorb the soy sauce and olive oil faster and more evenly than cooled noodles, so every strand carries flavor instead of sitting in a puddle underneath.
Unfermented soy blocks iron absorption. Fermented soy sauce does the reverse. Research found that soy sauce produced through traditional fermentation boosted non-heme iron absorption from grain meals by 3.3 times. Polysaccharides formed during fermentation keep the iron in an absorbable state through digestion rather than letting it precipitate out. Your whole wheat noodles carry non-heme iron behind phytates, and this tablespoon of dressing quietly works against that barrier.
Behind this recipe
Can I use regular noodles instead of whole wheat?
Any noodle works for taste. Whole wheat brings 4g of fiber along with extra non-heme iron per serving. Research showed fermented soy sauce boosted iron uptake from grain-based meals by 3.3 times, making the dressing and whole wheat noodles a stronger iron pairing than the same dressing over refined white noodles.
Why cook the bell pepper instead of keeping it raw?
Sautéing for 3 to 5 minutes softens the strips enough to blend with the warm noodles while keeping their snap. You also get some caramelization from the heat, which adds a layer of flavor the raw version does not have.
Is 23g of protein enough for lunch?
23g of protein at 582 kcal puts protein at about 16% of total energy for this bowl. Each additional slice of turkey breast adds roughly 5-6g without meaningfully changing the carb or fat balance.
