Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl

This entrée falls somewhere between a soup and a noodle dish. You can eat it with chopsticks, but be sure to have spoons around to catch the broth.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked udon noodles (thick, round fresh Japanese wheat noodles) or spaghetti

1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-salt beef broth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake (rice wine) or dry sherry
1 tablespoon honey
Cooking spray
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 4 ounces)

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot

8 ounces top round, thinly sliced

3/4 cup diagonally cut green onions

1 (6-ounce) bag prewashed baby spinach

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Place garlic, pepper, and broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Combine soy sauce, sake, and honey in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrot; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vegetable mixture to broth mixture. Stir in beef; cook 2 minutes or until beef loses its pink color. Stir in noodles, green onions, and spinach. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories:306 (16% from fat)

Fat:5.6g (sat 1.8g,mono 2g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:22.4g

Carbohydrate:36.6g

Fiber:2.4g

Cholesterol:39mg

Iron:3.4mg

Sodium:707mg

Calcium:59mg