Spiced pumpkin and Thai noodles? Say what? These gluten free Spiced Pumpkin Peanut Shrimp Thai Noodles are a great addition to your fall dinner table!
It’s refreshing to use pumpkin in savoury recipes, especially since pumpkin is more popular with dessert recipes. Since pumpkin is a fall favorite, I try to incorporate it in as many recipes as I can! I don’t think I’ve ever made a savoury pumpkin recipe before, not even pumpkin soup. So I guess this will be my first savoury pumpkin recipe, and guess what? It’s a winner!
A couple weeks ago, I was at Starbucks with my agent for hours going over my business plan. My agent is also one of my closest friends, so naturally we took short breaks to talk about other fun things while sipping on green tea lattes and munching on toasted cream cheese bagels.
Part of what we discussed was my next fall recipe idea using pumpkin. I wanted to go a different route because I didn’t want to create the typical pumpkin pie, cake, bars, etc. Although those are all delicious and would always be a classic, it’s nice to get creative with food and explore other ideas. After all, I believe the only rules that apply to food are, it doesn’t matter what ingredients you combine to create your final masterpiece, as long as it tastes good and it’s safe to eat!
So while we kept rubbing minds while somewhat drifting away from the main topic, we came up with this spiced pumpkin peanut shrimp Thai noodles recipe! It’s mouthful to say for sure, but it’s also a delicious mouthful. Originally, the plan was to add pumpkin to the recipe while only using Thai seasoning. Then we figured, why not enhance the pumpkin flavor with spices and combine it with the Thai seasoning? Technically, pumpkin by itself is quite bland. However, when you combine pureed pumpkin with pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom or cloves, it enhances the flavour!
The combination of spiced pumpkin with the Thai seasoning may sound overwhelming, but trust me when I tell you that it turned out perfect! It’s all about the ratio. The best part about this recipe was how easy it was to make, and the Thai pumpkin sauce was also cooked in my Vitamix blender! I seriously love my Vitamix. It actually heats up the sauce because all Vitamix blenders have blunt blades which create heat using friction. Isn’t that awesome?! It’s a lazy girls guide to delicious cooking. Spiced Pumpkin Peanut Thai Shrimp Noodles are my new fall favorite!
- 8 oz rice noodles
- 1 lb steamed shrimp
- ¾ cup pureed pumpkin or canned
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 can light unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger (or ½ a teaspoon ginger powder)
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- Peanuts and chopped basil for garnish
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and set aside in a large pot. Set aside your steamed shrimp separately.
- Add the remaining ingredients (except peanuts and basil) into a Vitamix blender and blend on high for 5-7 minutes. Pour the heated pumpkin Thai sauce over the noodles. Add the steamed shrimp and toss until incorporated. Top with peanuts and chopped basil and serve.
- If you don’t have a Vitamix blender, simply place a skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the wet ingredients and seasonings to the skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add noodles and steamed shrimp and toss until incorporated.
