Lazy lo mein

There's a very specific American-Chinese fast food version of lo mein. If you know it, you know it—maybe even as a guilty pleasure. The kind of dish where the leftovers are even better the next day, slurping up those oily noodles slicked with soy sauce and studded with vegetables is pure comfort food. This recipe aims to emulate that experience with fresher flavors and more veggies!

To be clear, this is not authentic Chinese food, but it's an easy way to make a satisfying dish. I use spaghetti noodles because they're easily accessible and affordable. The recipe is very flexible. I used shrimp, but you could use any protein like tofu or chicken, or keep it focused on the veggies. Almost any vegetable works here—think carrots, broccoli, or bok choy in addition to or instead of the cabbage, bell peppers, and mushrooms I used.

I recommend making this dish if you want a big batch of satisfying leftovers. This recipe yields about six to seven portions. If you're cooking for fewer people or not a huge fan of leftovers, consider halving the recipe.

Noodles and stir fry
1 lb dried spaghetti cooked with 1 t salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
12 to 16 oz raw shrimp
1 bell pepper, any color, thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms
1 lb shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix

Sauce ingredients
3 T soy sauce, plus more as needed to taste
3 T oyster sauce
1 T rice vinegar

1 T minced garlic
2 t brown sugar
2 t sesame oil
1/4 t white pepper (optional)
sliced green onions, for garnish

Boil spaghetti in a large pot or Dutch oven until slightly under al dente. 

Combine all sauce ingredients so they will be ready when you need them in the stir fry process.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 T vegetable oil on high heat. Add shrimp and let sear on one side until 3/4 of the way cooked, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. They will cook the rest of the way when added to the final dish. This prevents them from overcooking while still getting some browning.

Add another T vegetable oil to the pan and cook bell pepper and mushrooms over high heat for 3-4 minutes, until slightly softened but still crisp. Remove and set aside.

Add another T vegetable oil to the pan and cook the shredded cabbage until slightly softened. If you are using thinly shredded coleslaw, this will only take 30 seconds. If the cabbage you are using is sliced a bit less thinly, this could take a minute or 2. 

It's time to combine everything! You're going to need a big pot to do this, so unless the skillet or wok you have been using is HUGE, I recommend using the big pot you used to cook the noodles for this last step. This will give you more room to stir everything together. Heat that pot over high heat, add 1 T vegetable oil and the noodles, and cook them without stirring for 1-2 minutes, until they're a little browned on one side. 

Add the sauce and all remaining ingredients and stir together until everything is heated through, about 3 minutes. 

Serves 6-7.