Asian Pasta Salad starts with 10 different fresh vegetables. Those crunchy vegetables are tossed together with pasta (or cellophane noodles) in a tangy Asian vinaigrette that is so flavorful, you just might be tempted to drink it. I am warning you now, it’s that good.
This salad, there are hardly words to describe its amazingness. I could probably eat a massive bowl of this salad every day for a month and not get tired of it! The first time I made it, I ate it twice a day until it was gone. That is how much I love it.
My friend Rebecca texted me right after she created this salad a few weeks ago, because her family loved it so much. I made it the same day she shared it on her blog and I’ve already made it again since then. This salad is the perfect blend of gorgeous colors and fantastic textures, making it a dream come true for any fan of Chinese food who is also serious about their vegetables.
- Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice about 2 large limes
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup minced ginger about a 4-inch section
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 large jalapeno minced, about 2 tablespoons
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- Salad Ingredients:
- 10-16 ounces thin spaghetti-style noodles cooked according to package directions (see Cook's Note)
- 1 small head Napa cabbage thinly sliced
- 6 ounces baby spinach about 4 cups
- 1/2 small head of purple cabbage very thinly sliced
- 1 English cucumber sliced lengthwise, then thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into thin matchsticks
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced into thin matchsticks
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro stems removed, chopped small
- 2 cups snow pea pods roughly chopped bite-size (optional)
- 2 cups bean sprouts or pea shoots (optional)
- Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar. Close tightly with a lid and shake to dissolve the sugar and combine thoroughly.
- In a very large mixing bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients with a pair of tongs or your hands. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Enjoy!
I like making this salad with glass or cellophane noodles, they can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. These noodles are typically made with sweet potato or bean starches. The noodles are almost completely flavorless on their own and they absorb the salad flavors beautifully. This salad is great with spaghetti, angel hair, or linguini noodles as well.
When using cellophane noodles, I place the cooked noodles on a cutting board and roughly chop them a few times. They are extremely long noodles and this makes the salad much easier to serve and eat.
Please note that this makes a huge salad. Unless you are feeding a crowd, I recommend making a 1/2 recipe. When I make this salad, I prepare the full recipe and then place about 1/4 of the salad ingredients in a bowl along with 1/4 of the prepared dressing. Toss that together and enjoy. Repeat as desired with the remaining ingredients, just dressing the amounts of salad that we can eat within a day or two. The salad with dressing will keep for only a day or two in the refrigerator. Without the dressing, the salad should keep nicely for at least 4 days.
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