14 September 2023

Sesame Noodle Salad

Sesame Noodle Salad / www.delightfulrepast.com

Sesame Noodle Salad is the perfect dish for end-of-summer picnics and potlucks since it is good at any temperature. If it's fresh out of the refrigerator, I figure it is good—from a food safety standpoint—for three hours at room temperature. Get out your big bowl for this recipe; it makes a lot!

If you're taking a lunch to work, this is perfect. Just divvy it up into glass storage containers of whatever size matches your appetite, and you're all set for the next four days.

I love mung bean sprouts but left them out of the recipe because they are not always readily available. And to go main-dish with this salad, it is wonderful with slices of chicken breast. 

For years I've seen similar salads called "Asian" noodle salad. I avoid that since I like to be very specific, down to not just a country but often a region of a country or even a city, if possible. With Chinese soy sauce, Japanese toasted sesame oil, and Italian spaghetti, I thought I'd better just call it Sesame Noodle Salad!
 

Sesame Noodle Salad / www.delightfulrepast.com

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Sesame Noodle Salad

(Makes 12 to 16 servings)

The Dressing

(Makes 1 1/2 cups—you'll have extra)

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) red wine vinegar 
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, depending your heat tolerance)

The Salad


8 ounces (227 grams) whole grain spaghetti (I like Barilla)
1 12-ounce (340 grams) package Broccoli Slaw (mostly shredded broccoli)
1/2 10-ounce package (5 ounces/142 grams) shredded carrots
1/2 large English cucumber (to make 5 ounces/142 grams julienned)
1 medium red bell pepper (to make 5 ounces/142 grams julienned)
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
A handful of chopped cilantro leaves
Optional: 3 green onions (scallions), green part only, thinly sliced


1 In a 2-cup glass measure, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside to "meld" while you make the salad. You might even make it the day before.

2 In a 3-quart saucepan, bring 6 1/2 cups of water with 3/4 teaspoon of salt to a rapid boil. Add the spaghetti and cook a minute past package's "al dente" instructions. I cooked the Barilla whole grain spaghetti for 8 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold tap water, drain thoroughly, and put it in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup of the dressing.

Note: If it's still available when you're reading this, there is a fabulous deal on the lidded bowl and glass measuring cup sold together!

3 I know the packages of various prepped salad things say things like "thoroughly washed," "ready to use," "triple washed." But I'm a little too fussy to take their word for it. AND giving them a wash and spin hydrates and freshens them up for your salad. So do that to the broccoli slaw and shredded carrots, or not—I won't judge—and add them to the mixing bowl along with another 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss to combine. 

4 Add the remaining ingredients and more dressing, reserving at least 1/4 cup that might be needed at serving time (the pasta absorbs a lot, and you don't want a dry salad). Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours. Any leftover dressing will not go to waste; it's delicious on any salad. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees at no cost to you by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

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16 comments:

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

My taste buds lit up when you mentioned slices of chicken. For me, specificity comes with the add-ons, while your delicious Sesame Noodle Salad is the portable stock combo that goes with some sort of protein like chicken or shrimp. Guess that’s a pretty generic description on restaurant menus. You are the Queen of fundamental salads and meatless delights, however, and I’m moving your way. Starting to nibble like a rabbit on bowls of lettuce, cheese, croutons and raspberry vinaigrette as a starting point… P.S. the dressing is going to shape my dinner plans!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Watch out, Sully, sounds like you're going over to the dark side eating healthfully! Enjoy your dinner.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You share so many wonderful recipes! This looks good and so does the bread in the earlier post! Thanks!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Diane. I feel like I've had a mini-vacation every time I visit your blog with the lovely nature photos you take.

Phil in the Kitchen said...

I love what you did here and I'm most certainly always ready for a noodle salad (although my days of taking them to work are thankfully behind me). Noodle salads are one of the dishes that make a summer for me and I often add salmon, chicken or prawns to make more of a feast (although, I often forget to add the peanuts for some inexplicable reason). I've got to agree that "Asian" is a bit misleading as a description for the noodle salads that I've made or come across. In fact, it was Australians that first showed me just how excellent such salads can be.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Phil. I, too, am sooo glad my days of taking lunches to work are behind me! Unfortunately, of late, I frequently have occasion to drop meals off to sick friends.

TONY said...

Hi Jean. I have been out of things for the last five weeks. I need lots of nutricious food to build my strength up. This sounds wonderful. I love noodles. I must admit I need protein.Would this suffice do you think? All the best, Tony

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Tony, that "out of things" and "need to build my strength up" sounds worrisome. 😟 You should definitely add some sliced chicken for maximum protein. ⁉️

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

What ever you prefer to call it, I know it is delicious. Great to take to a potluck dinner.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

I recently shared a noodle salad, too, Jean, and your version sounds wonderful. Still being so hot here, this sounds so refreshing!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Karen, thanks. And I'll be taking it to a potluck dinner in a couple weeks!

Cocoa and Lavender said...

I love how many different versions there are of sesame noodles -- and that is what makes it so fun! I want to try yours as it is so very different from mine. And I know I will love yours equally! Thanks, Jean!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, David. I know what you mean. I've made it completely differently at times and liked it still! I think the musts for me are cucumbers and red bell peppers. I also love it with snow peas, but they're not always available and I get by without them, so can't really call them "musts," just "especially nice to have."

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Kitty, thank you. I'm sure your version is wonderful as well. Sort of like David commented, lots of different versions to try makes it fun!

Veronica Lee said...

Your salad looks amazing!

Yummm! 😋

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Veronica!