This paleo and Whole30 spin on veggie and pork lo mein uses sweet potato noodles for a delicious real-food meal packed with the traditional flavors of garlic, sesame and ginger. High in protein, fiber, and healthy fats for a filling lunch or dinner that’s grain free, soy free, gluten-free and paleo!
Have you been following my (totally unofficial) Chinese-takeout recipe series?! I’ve been putting Paleo and Whole30 compliant spins on all my old favorites – we started with beef & broccoli, moved onto chicken & pork cauliflower fried rice, got breakfast-y with these sausage egg roll bowls, and now here we are!
I’m definitely going backwards in time with these re-creations, because my very first take-out meal EVER was definitely pork lo mein. I mean, what 2 year old doesn’t love lo mein? Lo mein, fried rice, and egg rolls were my childhood staples on take-out nights, and my grown-up (and paleo) self was just as excited to eat the updated versions!
When considering what noodles to use, I just HAD to go sweet potato. Since I knew I wasn’t going to add any sweetener to the sauce, I figured sweet potato noodles would provide the perfect sweet/savory edge to the other flavors in the recipe.
I think butternut squash noodles would be delicious too! As for zucchini noodles, you could definitely try them, however they wouldn’t add the flavor of sweet potato or butternut, plus, the issue of zoodles getting watery wouldn’t make this meal as leftover-friendly, in my opinion.
But, you might be thinking, “I hate spiralizing sweet potato” OR, “my spiralizer literally CANNOT handle a sweet potato. To which I respond, “I’ve been there, and, I feel you.” My first and only spiralizer broke a few months ago and I wound up trying out 2 new ones – the first of which could absolutely NOT handle a sweet potato. Believe me, I got a decent workout in a few times while trying to force the issue – did not happen. Sadness, denial, and just a lot of frustration!
The second one I tried out actually spiralized my sweet potatoes better than my first – SCORE ON THAT! It’s the Breifton 5 Blade Spiralizer, and, though it’s new to me I can tell you that it will work if you want to spiralize butternut squash and sweet potatoes during the fall/winter. And of course, since this lo mein came out so tasty, I have my minds eye on sweet potato noodle pad Thai for next time!
If you made my chicken and pork fried rice or beef and broccoli, you’ll see that the core ingredients for the lo mein are very similar. I decided to use center cut pork chops, sliced extremely thin, but you can just as easily make this chicken lo mein by using boneless chicken breasts.
The major difference with this recipe is that you’ll be roasting the sweet potato noodles while you’re prepping/stir frying the other ingredients. Since they’re thin, they’re done roasting in just 20 minutes, at which point the stars align and you toss them with your stovetop mixture – then EAT!
It all comes together quickly, with the most work being the prepping – chopping, slicing and spiralizing. The leftovers are delicious too for lunch the next day! (In the true sprit of takeout, I even tested them cold the next morning, and, thanks to those sweet potato noodles – yum.) Are you ready to start cooking? Grab your cutting board and let’s go!
Paleo Pork Lo Mein {Whole30}
Paleo Sweet potato Noodle Lo Mein {Whole30}
This paleo and Whole30 spin on veggie and pork lo mein uses sweet potato noodles for a delicious real-food meal packed with the traditional flavors of garlic, sesame and ginger. High in protein, fiber, and healthy fats for a filling lunch or dinner that's grain free, soy free, gluten-free and paleo!
Ingredients
For the sweet potato noodles
- 3 medium sweet potatoes spiralized
- 1 tsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
For the pork or chicken:
- 1 lb boneless center cut pork chops or *boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into very thin pieces
- 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp coconut aminos
- 2 tsp pure sesame oil
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Vegetables:
- 1 cup white mushrooms sliced thin
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
- 2 bunches baby bok choy white and green parts, finely chopped (about 3 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced (about 1” chunk, fresh peeled
- 3 scallions white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 2 Tbsp pure sesame oil
- 1 tsp tapioca flour optional, to thicken sauce
Instructions
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Have all ingredients chopped, sliced and ready to cook prior to starting
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First, toss your sliced pork or chicken in a bowl with marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 10 mins while you prep sweet potato noodles and veggies.
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For the noodles, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss noodles with olive oil and salt and spread out evenly. Roast in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until softened and beginning to crisp up.
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Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat and add 1 tsp olive or avocado oil. Once heated, add the pork or chicken and cook, stirring to evenly brown, until just cooked through, 1 minute or less. Remove from skillet to a plate, leaving juices in the skillet, set aside while you stir fry veggies.
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Keep the heat high and add all the veggies, garlic, ginger and white scallions to the skillet (don’t add green parts yet), cook and stir for a few minutes until fork tender and beginning to char. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl for the next step.
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Lower heat to medium and pour in sauce mixture, stirring to fully coat. Bring to a boil to allow sauce to thicken, then add back in the pork or chicken and toss to coat with sauce, remove from heat.
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Once noodles are ready, add to the mixture and gently toss to combine everything well. Garnish with thinly sliced green scallions and serve hot. Makes about 4-6 servings. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe if you prefer
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Paleo Sweet Potato Noodle Lo Mein:
Want More Take-Out Inspired Pale and Whole30 meals? Try One of These!
Chicken & Pork Fried Cauliflower Rice {Paleo & Whole30}
Paleo Whole30 Beef with Broccoli
Sausage Pizza Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Bacon Burger & Fries Breakfast Bake
Tell Me!
Think fast – chicken or pork?
Most difficult veggie to spiralize?
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Can I substitute arrowroot powder (which I have on hand) for the tapioca flour? If so, how much?
Thanks!
Yup, it would be the same amount 🙂
This looks delicious! I have my sweet potatoes spiralized, and veggies chopped and ready to go for dinner tomorrow! Day 1 of a new Whole 30.
Woohoo! hope you like it 🙂
This looks great! Do you think it would work well with spaghetti squash as the noodles?
Anything I could use instead of tapioca flour? I don’t have that flour on hand and would prefer to use another flour type if possible…
Arrowroot will thicken the same way, otherwise you can omit and the sauce will just be thinner, no problem though 🙂
Thanks Michele!
I just made this. It was excellent. I cheated and bought already spiralized sweet potato noodles.
This was just delicious! I used white sweet potatoes so my color in the dish was a bit different but the taste was superb. My family asked that this be a ‘couple times a month’ dish!
Yum! I love white sweet potato noodles 🙂
I made this for my cousins when they came to visit. I was asked for the recipe so shared your link on Facebook. Goes fast once the prep work us done. The only thing I would change is to double up on the sauce ingredients. I’m a saucy gal.
I made this yesterday. It was delicious! Definitely something I want to make again.
Amazing! Took me over an hour to do everything but it turned out soooo good!
This is absolutely delicious !! Haven’t found a gem of a recipe like this in a long time ??
Great flavor and easy to make!
Made this for dinner tonight and it’s amazing! Highly recommend! ?
I absolutely love it and will continue to make it over and over again! Hands down my most successful Pin! You are a rockstar! Thanks for making me feel like a rockstar when I make Carnitas!!!
I absolutely love it and will continue to make it over and over again!
Looking really delicious. Thanks for sharing such amazing recipe.
I was super excited to try this recipe as I can’t ever order take out. I was not disappointed. I modified for the scallions and fresh ginger. The flavors are amazing and the sweet potatoes are perfect. All of my boys gave thumbs up. I actually made rice for them as they can eat that. This like all the other recipes I get from you will be made time and time again. Thank you for your amazing recipes and the time you put in to share them.
Wow, these recipes sound amazing! It’s great to find healthy spins on classic comfort food. Makes me think of gliding down a snowy mountain. Perhaps after making these, I’ll reward myself with a little Snow rider break! Food and fun, the perfect combo. Thanks for sharing.
Your writing style is both eloquent and persuasive. I admire your ability to convey such detailed information in an accessible way.
“Sweet potato noodles? Guess who’s upgrading from sad desk lunches to fancy paleo gourmet!” 😏