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Ready in just 25 minutes, this Asian noodle salad is fast. It’s easy. It’s simple. It’s delicious. It’s – dare I say – my most favorite meal prep recipe during the busy work week! This pasta salad is loaded with fresh vegetables and homemade dressing for a healthy take on a classic Asian pasta salad.
Why you’re going to love this recipe:
- It’s quick and easy. If you need a last minute side dish for that backyard barbecue you forgot about, this is the noodle salad for you! Your friends are going to love it and I can almost guarantee they’ll be asking you for the recipe!
- The flavors are AMAZING. The tahini, brown sugar, rice vinegar and soy sauce come together to make the most delicious dressing you’ve ever tasted. You might want to just drink it straight from the mason jar – it’s sooooo good!
- It’s perfect for meal prep. This Asian noodle salad is on permanent rotation in my meal prep line up. I make it at least once a month and I’m always sad when it’s gone. The flavors just get better with time and I look forward to eating it all week!
How to make this recipe:
Get ready guys – this my be simplest recipe you’ve ever seen!
Combine noodles with veggies in a large bowl. Combine salad dressing in a mason jar and shake until emulsified.
Pour dressing over salad. Toss to coat evenly.
Can you handle all that? I know you can!!
Other noodles you could use in this Asian pasta salad:
You can really use any long or short cut of pasta in this dish. Just make sure you use 16 oz. of pasta.
- linguine
- bucatini
- vermicelli
- fettuccine
- rotini
- bow tie
- penne
- rigatoni
Tips for making this recipe:
- Make sure you cook your pasta just to al dente. Nothing ruins a pasta salad more than overcooked pasta. I always cook my pasta for the minimum time listed on the instructions (sometimes even a minute or two less). This ensures that the pasta still has a bit of a bite and will not become mushy when you add the dressing.
- If you’ll be eating this salad as meal prep recipe, just add half the dressing initially. Then add a little more each day just before eating so that the pasta salad doesn’t get soggy.
- Switch out the veggies to fit your taste. Feel free to add broccoli instead of red pepper or green cabbage instead of purple. As long as you keep the ratios the same, you can use any veggies you’d like!
Other pasta salad favorites you will love:
- Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- Fall Harvest Salad with Mustard Dijon
- Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
- Simple Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Asian Noodle Salad [Vegan]
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This vegan sesame ginger pasta salad is loaded with fresh vegetables and homemade dressing for a healthy take on a classic Asian pasta salad.
Ingredients
For pasta salad:
- 16 oz. spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
- 1 cup red pepper, diced
- 1 cup yellow pepper, diced
- 1 cup red cabbage, diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1.5 cups shelled edamame
- 3 stalks green onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
For dressing:
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Add all pasta salad ingredients to a large bowl.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a large mason jar and shake it up real good.
- If you are planning to serve the pasta salad immediately, pour dressing into the serving bowl and toss until everything is well coated.
- Garnish with sesame seeds.
- If you are planning to meal prep this recipe like I did, pour about 1/2 of the dressing into the serving bowl and toss until everything is well coated.
- Then divide into 8 containers and garnish each container of salad with sesame seeds. Each morning before work, or just before serving add another splash of dressing to the salad.
- This will ensure that the noodles don’t get too soggy and that your pasta salad is still flavorful a few days later.
Notes
Make sure you cook your pasta just to al dente. Nothing ruins a pasta salad more than overcooked pasta. I always cook my pasta for the minimum time listed on the instructions (sometimes even a minute or two less). This ensures that the pasta still has a bit of a bite and will not become mushy when you add the dressing.
If you’ll be eating this salad as meal prep recipe, just add half the dressing initially. Then add a little more each day just before eating so that the pasta salad doesn’t get soggy.
Switch out the veggies to fit your taste. Feel free to add broccoli instead of red pepper or green cabbage instead of purple. As long as you keep the ratios the same, you can use any veggies you’d like!
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Asian pasta salad, cold noodle salad, sesame pasta salad, pasta salad
This post was originally published in April 2018. It was updated in February 2019 to include process shots and detailed tips on how to make the perfect Asian pasta salad.
All That I'm Eating
July 6, 2018 at 10:02 amI love all those different colours together and that dressing sounds absolutely delicious!
Midwest Foodie
July 9, 2018 at 6:51 pmThanks so much!
Prince Kochler
December 3, 2018 at 1:39 amWe like your site, it has nice articles, Have a great day!
Midwest Foodie
December 3, 2018 at 10:18 amThank you so much! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Midwest Foodie
February 13, 2019 at 11:28 amSuch a quick and easy meal prep recipes for week’s worth of healthy lunches!
★★★★★
Wendy
April 22, 2019 at 2:39 pmThis is so good! I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce and used regular- big mistake, it’s way too salty. I also don’t like cabbage so I subbed in chopped snow peas and edamame, and it gave a good crunch. Finally, I also grilled a portobello mushroom and chopped it up in the salad. Super yummy and brought it to work in a thermos for lunch the next day- the recipe is a winner!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
April 22, 2019 at 2:53 pmSo glad you enjoyed it Wendy! Your variation sounds delish – I love mushrooms!! Might have to try that next time!
Danielle
May 20, 2019 at 11:29 amIf you say it is your favorite week day meal prep recipe – I’ve got to try it! And there are no compromises! 🙂 It does look yummy, healthy and something I could really enjoy!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 20, 2019 at 1:15 pmYou are going to love it Danielle! 🙂
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
May 20, 2019 at 2:30 pmNoodles are always a hit with the crowd. What a great salad for BBQ parties this summer. I could make a meal on this salad all on its own.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 21, 2019 at 9:26 amAgreed!
Jackie
May 20, 2019 at 7:17 pmI absolutely love that this is loaded with fresh veggies and fits the vegan lifestyle some of my family lives. Thanks for sharing and I can’t wait to make this when they come and visit.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 21, 2019 at 9:25 amThanks Jackie!
Denise
May 23, 2019 at 10:36 amLove this! So simple and easy … and the result looks delicious! Such a colorful salad with great flavors!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 23, 2019 at 1:36 pmThanks Denise!
Eva
May 24, 2019 at 2:08 amMmm sounds delish! And I love how brightly coloured this salad is! It just feels like summer, the perfect meal for a summer dinner on the porch! Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 24, 2019 at 9:06 amThank you Eva!
Marisa F. Stewart
May 25, 2019 at 1:40 pmWOW! The colors are so vivid and beautiful. The noodle salad just begs me to dive right in. I love a great pasta salad and I really like the idea of an Asian touch. I can’t wait to try out that Asian dressing – I always thing homemade is so much better.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 26, 2019 at 7:30 amThanks Marisa!
Elena
May 26, 2019 at 4:59 amThis noodle salad looks so bright and colorful! Perfect for a light summer lunch. Definitely saving this for later.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 26, 2019 at 7:29 amThanks Elena!!
Lorie
May 26, 2019 at 7:50 amI get so tired of the SAME OLD pasta salad. I’m looking for pasta salads like this one to add to our BBQs this summer. Yay!!!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 8:50 amYou’re going to LOVE this one Lorie!
Charity
May 26, 2019 at 3:15 pmThis looks so colorful and delicious! We’ve been prepping lunches lately, and I think this is a perfect recipe to add to our rotation.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 8:50 amCould not agree more! Thanks Charity!
Analida Braeger
May 26, 2019 at 5:45 pmThis looks so easy for a side or a light summer meal. I love to experiment with cold noodle dishes and sides, will be trying this 🙂
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 8:49 amThanks Analida!
Carol Borchardt
May 26, 2019 at 8:04 pmAsian noodle dishes are one of my favorite things ever! Love all the veggies in this dish and that dressing sounds simply ah-mazing! Thinking that could be used in a variety of ways!
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 8:49 amThanks Carol!
Jo
May 26, 2019 at 10:27 pmI love Asian flavors and I loooove noodles. So this salad is something I would want to eat every single day. Looks absolutely delicious and filling too.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
May 27, 2019 at 8:49 amThanks Jo!
CJ
June 8, 2019 at 9:52 amI agree this recipe looks awesome! I wish people would avoid rating your recipes without actually making it; in my opinion, this practice dilutes the recipe’s high rating.
Kylie Lato
June 10, 2019 at 7:38 amThanks CJ!