You can’t go wrong with a stir fry—especially when you find out the ingredients chef Max La Manna uses to make his recipe pop. This vegan stir fry is reliable and customizable—perfect for when you need to clear out those extra veggies in the back of the fridge.

Upcycling food scraps is one of the best ways to cut back on food waste. Instead of tossing leftovers or scraps in the trash (or compost bin!), why not utilize them to make an entirely new recipe? This keeps food out of landfills and helps you reduce your carbon footprint.

La Manna knows all about cutting back on food waste. After all, each of his recipes is low-waste and plant-based. So if you’re looking for ways to step up your eco-friendly kitchen game, this vegan stir fry is a great place to start.

According to La Manna, his go-to dinner recipe is tofu noodles—aka this vegan tofu noodle stir fry, which can be found on his Instagram. All you need is cubed tofu, corn starch, noodles of your choice, oil, and baking soda.

In a recent episode of Good Together, La Manna told us exactly how he perfects his famous tofu noodles.

“I’ll press my tofu then chop it into cubes and cover it in [corn starch] to have a nice, dry coating on the outside,” he says. “In a frying pan I’ll add a little bit of vegetable oil, so it can get it nice and crispy on the outside. You’re trying to evoke or bring in crunch and flavors and textures into a lot of plant-based dishes.”

Here’s exactly how to make these delicious tofu noodles in less than 30 minutes, according to La Manna’s recipe.

Vegan Stir Fry Recipe

Base Ingredients:

450 grams firm tofu, cubed (can replace tofu with chickpeas, tempeh, or mushrooms)
200 grams of noodles of your choice
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2-3 Tbsp of oil
1 tsp baking soda

Sauce Ingredients:

2 Tbsp soy sauce/tamari
2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp peanut butter (optional tahini or seed butter)
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 tsp maple syrup or brown sugar
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

Instructions:

1. Mix the cubed tofu and cornstarch in a large bowl.

2. In a frying pan on medium-high heat, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the tofu. Fry the tofu for 2 minutes on each side. And keep an eye on the tofu so that it doesn’t burn!

3. Boil water and add your noodles. Cook the noodles according to the packet’s instructions. (Bonus: If you want eggy noodles, add a teaspoon of baking soda to your boiling noodles—this even works for all kinds of pasta dishes!)

4. Drain the noodles, remove the frying pan from the heat, and add the noodles with the tofu.

5. Make the sauce and combine it with the noodles and tofu.

6. Add vegetables and other toppings as desired. Some good options are carrot, spinach, peas, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, and chives. La Manna personally chose ribboned carrot, toasted peanuts, fresh coriander, cilantro, and pickled red onion as his toppings. And he recommends using whatever leftover veggies you have in the fridge.

7. Serve and enjoy!