Cold Asian Noodle Salad

You will love the flavour of this delicious cold noodle salad! It’s vibrant, nutritious and delicious and always quick to disappear. Fresh, crunchy veggies are paired with noodles and a zesty, creamy and addictive peanut sauce for the perfect combo.

Enjoy this dish any time for a light main or flavourful side dish. It’s perfect during the warmer months when you don’t feel like cooking and makes a great option for meal prep too.

Recipe Features

• Dietary Features: Vegan, can be gluten-free, can be nut-free.
• Quick: You’ll need about 30 minutes to get this on the table so it’s a great option for weeknights.
• Customizable: Easy to customize with whatever veggies you have on hand.
• Serve Hot or Cold: It’s delicious served cold but can also be heated up.
• Works well as a main dish or side salad.
• Feeds a Crowd: Travels well and can be served at room temperature or cold, making it a great option for picnics, BBQs or any gathering.
• Great option for a meatless meal the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredient Notes

A complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below. This section covers ingredient and substitution considerations.

• Vegetables: The recipe calls for carrot, scallion, bell pepper and cabbage but if you’re missing one, that’s ok!
• Cilantro: If you’re not a fan, you can leave this out or try another herb like Thai basil.
• Noodles: You can use regular or whole-wheat spaghetti or linguini noodles, soba noodles or brown rice or buckwheat noodles for a gluten-free option.
• Ginger & Garlic: These are used in the sauce. If you don’t have fresh ginger and garlic on hand, you can use garlic powder and ground ginger in a pinch.
• Maple Syrup: Can be substituted with agave syrup or coconut sugar.
• Peanut Butter: Can be substituted with almond butter or for a nut-free dressing, you can use sunflower seed butter.
• Soy Sauce: Use low-sodium soy sauce or for a gluten-free, be sure to use tamari or coconut aminos.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Cook the pasta.

Bring a pot of large water to a boil stovetop with a generous pinch of salt. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions.

Once it’s done, drain and quickly run it under cold water then add it back into the pot.

Expert Tip: Since we’ll be serving this cold, you want to cook it just a touch past the recommended time rather than al dente. It should be fully cooked but not so overcooked it’s mushy. Consider adding 1-2 tsp sesame oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.

Step 2. Prepare the veggies.

While the pasta is cooking, you can start chopping up the vegetables and herbs:

• grate the carrot
• finely slice or grate the cabbage – if using red or green cabbage, grate or use a mandolin, napa cabbage can be finely chopped
• roughly chop the cilantro and scallions
• thinly slice the bell pepper

Add all the chopped veggies to a large mixing or serving bowl.

Quick Tip: Want to save time? Use a few handfuls of coleslaw mix, broccoli slaw or pre-chopped veggies instead of the cabbage and carrot.

Step 3. Make the sauce.

The sauce needs to be blended. I like to use an immersion blender or single-serve blender up for this but any blending device works.

Pop everything into your blender, starting with 2 tbsp of water, process until smooth and creamy then add a little more water and blend again to adjust the consistency, if needed.

Notes & Tips

• If you’re missing any of the veggies, no problem. Use what you have on hand and don’t worry about exact amounts. Other suitable veggies include any color of bell pepper, broccoli, jalapeno and cucumber.
• To add protein to this recipe, add baked tofu, tempeh or edamame.
• To make the recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free noodles such as buckwheat noodles and make sure you use gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
• To make the recipe low-carb, use zucchini noodles.
• To make it spicier, add up to 1 tbsp sriracha or chili garlic paste to the sauce.

FAQs

Storing

• Fridge: Store in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
• It will dry out a bit after storing as the noodles absorb some of the moisture but it will still taste great. If you like, you can toss it with 2-3 tbsp vegetable broth to add some moisture back in.