Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein | Lite Cravings

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Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein will help you satisfy your takeout cravings at only 82 calories a serving! You can make the perfect Chinese-style side dish in under 30 minutes with just a few ingredients.

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (1)

Does anyone else out there count Panda Express as one of their guilty pleasures? Go head. You can admit it. And their chow mein? My absolute favorite. I didn’t really think about the food I was consuming at the time in my life when I would eat there pretty often (early 20s). I thought, if something has veggies in it, then it must be decent for you. Forget about all of the oil, sugar, and sodium pumped into this kind of fast food, right? Ever since I started eating much healthier, educating myself on the positives and negatives of certain ingredients, I knew I needed to make a healthier version of this Panda Express Chow Mein. Mainly so I wasn’t tempted to buy it again.

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (2)

Well, this has been one of my most popular recipes! It was also one of the first I ever posted to the blog, and it needed a revamp. More pictures, more explanation, and better instructions. So here you go! I created this lightened-up version of chow mein about 5 or 6 years ago, so it has been a staple in our food rotation for a while.

You really feel like you’re eating fast food with this recipe. It’s the perfect side dish to other #fakeout favorites like Air Fryer Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken or Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef. You can get that decadent, Chinese-takeout flavor while consuming lower calories/points.

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (3)

add protein and other veggies!

One of my favorite things about this recipe is using it as a base for many other iterations. You can add tons of veggies like bell pepper, mushrooms, beans sprouts, etc. Or you can make it a complete meal with some 0 SP protein, like chicken, shrimp, or tofu. It truly is versatile. Whatever you add, though–make sure to keep the cabbage in there. This is what keep the points and calories lower per serving. It bulks up the pasta to veggie ratio and makes it taste more authentic.
Recipe originally posted on May 8. 2018. Updated July 10, 2019.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@litecravings) and use the hashtag #litecravingsrecipes. I sometimes miss a tag here or there, but I always check in on the hashtag.

Ingredients

8 oz spaghetti*
1 medium onion sliced
3 celery ribs thinly sliced
10-12 oz bag shredded cabbage (about 4 packed cups)

FOR THE SAUCE

1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp brown sugar
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp grated ginger
pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, under cooking by about a minute.
Meanwhile, in a very large skillet, saute onion and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in cabbage and saute a few minutes until slightly wilted.
Mix sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Add pasta and sauce mixture to skillet with veggies until the pasta has absorbed the sauce, about a minute or so.

Notes

Click hereto determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Serving size is 1 heaping cup. The recipe is calculated using regular spaghetti, so using whole wheat or GF pasta may alter your points slightly.

WW Green and Blue SmartPoints: 4 for 1 heaping cup. When you measure our your serving, make sure you get a pretty much equal ratio of pasta and veggies in that cup to ensure it is actually a 4 SP serving.

WW Purple SmartPoints: If you use whole wheat or bean-based spaghetti (such as chickpea), it will be 1 SP for 1 heaping cup. If you use any other kind, it will remain 4 for 1 heaping cup.

Nutrition

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (2024)