Side Dishes

Asian Pasta Salad

Asian Pasta Salad is coated in a wonderful sesame/soy dressing with a little peanut butter. Full of carrots, red bell

  • Serves 6
  • Prep 10 minutes
  • Cook 8 minutes

pasta

Jump to the recipe
Asian Pasta Salad

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"

Asian Pasta Salad is coated in a wonderful sesame/soy dressing with a little peanut butter. Full of carrots, red  bell pepper, sugar snap peas, cilantro and peanuts.

So much flavor in this light and refreshing pasta salad. Makes a great side for grilled chicken or burgers. Works as a light lunch or to bring to a potluck and I love it during the summer months.

This cold pasta salad has lots of added crunch, plus a fablulous salty dressing with a little brown sugar for some sweetness.

Asian Pasta Salad Recipe Tips:

I don’t recommend making this pasta salad too far in advance, but the dressing can be mixed together a few days in advance and the veggies can be prepped ahead of time. I do like to refrigerate it for an hour or two before serving it.

Add some diced chicken or shrimp to make this a one dish meal.

Use any pasta shape you like. Rotini, shells, bowtie, penne, and cavatappi all work well.

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days.

Is this pasta salad spicy?

Crushed red pepper flakes are added for a little heat. Only add 1/4 teaspoon if you want barely noticeable heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon plus a few squirts of Sriracha sauce if you want it spicy.

Try These other Amazing Pasta Salad Recipes:

Recipe

Asian Pasta Salad

Asian Pasta Salad is coated in a wonderful sesame/soy dressing with a little peanut butter. Full of carrots, red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, cilantro and peanuts.

  • Serves 6
  • Prep 10 minutes
  • Cook 8 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 8 ounces uncooked pasta
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
  • 2 green onions, (sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts, (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the water and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain.

  2. 2

    While the water is coming to a boil, make the dressing. Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl.

  3. 3

    As soon as you drain the pasta, add it to the bowl with the sauce. Toss to coat.

  4. 4

    Add carrots, red bell pepper, and green onion.

  5. 5

    Sprinkle with cilantro, peanuts, and sesame seeds.

Notes

You can use pretty much any pasta shape. Cavatappi, rotini, shells, and penne all work well.

Nutrition

  • Calories296 kcal

More recipes

Eight more recipes from the rest of the kitchen.