Sesame Noodle Salad Recipe

4.17 from 100 votes

Sesame Noodle Salad Recipe

Great warm or cold, Sesame Noodle Salad features springy noodles in a creamy, savory, peanut sauce. These flavorful noodles are better than take-out and can be made ahead as meal prep or to serve as a side dish at your next potluck.

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Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Pasta / Noodles

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: easy recipe, easy salad recipe, Entree Salad, lunch, make-ahead meal, meal prep, pasta salad, potluck recipe

Servings:

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $4.00

Equipment

Microwave Safe Bowl
Mixing Bowl
Cutting Board
Knife
Food Processor, Box Grater or Mandolin

Ingredients

Sesame Peanut Sauce

5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (I used regular JIF peanut butter, but natural peanut butter should work)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Noodle Salad

8 ounces spaghetti, uncooked (see note)
4 ounces red cabbage, finely shredded (see note)
4 ounces carrots, finely shredded (see note)
2 stalks green onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Instructions

Cook pasta: Boil pasta according to package directions. (Note: Don't salt your water before cooking the noodles as the peanut sauce will add plenty of flavor and seasoning.) Drain (do not rinse). Allow pasta to cool for about 10 minutes.
Make sauce: Combine low-sodium soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, ginger, sugar, and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute, just to soften the peanut butter and heat the mixture. Remove from microwave and whisk until smooth. Stir in sesame oil.
Combine: Combine cooked spaghetti, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and sauce until evenly combined. If the sauce doesn't easily coat the noodles, add some water as you stir to thin it out. (At this point, the noodles can be refrigerated up to a day before serving.)
Top and serve: Just before serving, stir in green onions. Top noodles with roasted peanuts. Serve noodles warm or chilled / room temperature.

Notes

Low-Sodium Soy Sauce - If using regular soy sauce, reduce the amount you add by half and then slowly add more to-taste to prevent the sauce from becoming overly salty.

Spaghetti - Measure the dry pasta by weight (8 oz is usually half a package of spaghetti). Many other types of noodles are great here - soba noodles, ramen noodles, or udon noodles.

Cabbage / Carrots - I think it’s worth pulling out the food processor and using the shredder attachment to shred the cabbage and carrots together. It makes quick work of shredding. You can also use a mandolin or box grater, but just make sure the vegetables are very finely shredded since they will be served raw in the salad.

Nutrition