Sesame Noodle Salad is fresh, light, and full of fresh veggies. Serve as a delicious side dish for dinner or enjoy these cold sesame noodles on their own!
I’m working on a TDF patio/pool ready cocktail that I’ll be sharing with you soon and all I can think of when I think about it is how perfect it would be with a plate of sizzling grilled chicken and a serving bowl would fit Sesame Noodle Saladand a giant slice of Angel Food gluten-free cake with loads of cold whipped cream and berries.
Add in a warm evening and a good book and I think I just found the perfect Mother’s Day plan!?
Big dreams aside, I can’t wait for you to try this Cold Sesame Pasta Salad, which is tossed with an intensely flavored sesame dressing with the perfect balance of salty, tangy and sweet and loaded with healthy, crunchy veggies and herbs.
It’s the perfect healthy side dish that goes with pretty much any dinner, and is especially refreshing as we prepare for the warmer months (FINALLY, right?!)
Sesame Noodle Salad
You all know how dedicated I am to making the best pasta salad — I’ve got four jars of the secret weapon condiment in my freezer right now — but a cold sesame pasta salad packed with the flavors of toasted sesame, soy, ginger, and garlic hits something different.
As mentioned earlier, this cold pasta salad pairs perfectly with grilled chicken, shrimp, or even roasted tofu. The depth of flavor makes it a fun and downright delicious twist on a pasta salad!
Ingredients needed
For the salad:
- Angel hair noodles: For cold, gluten-free pasta salads, I prefer to use brown rice noodles because they don’t get as hard in the fridge as a gluten-free corn-rice mix. I will share my favorite brand below. If you don’t have a gluten-free diet, you can use regular angel hair pasta.
- sugar snap peas: I love the crunch that snow peas add to the sesame pasta salad. Slice diagonally for a pretty presentation.
- Shelled Edamame: Quickly thaw frozen peeled edamame in a bowl of warm water, drain and add to the cold pasta salad. I love the creamy texture they add and the protein too.
- Grated carrots: We always keep a bag of grated carrots on hand to toss into salads, soups and stir-fries – very handy.
- Red pepper: Julienne peppers add a nice crunch and color to the sesame noodles.
- Cucumber: Julienne, either 1/4 of an English cucumber or a mini cucumber for refreshing flavor and crunch.
- Coriander: Be sure to rinse your fresh cilantro before chopping it—it’s notorious for holding onto dirt.
- Green Onions: provide savory taste and crispiness.
For the sesame dressing:
- Gluten Free Tamari: I use gluten free reduced sodium tamari because I have that on hand in the pantry. Unless you’re on a gluten-free diet, traditional soy sauce is fine.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: gives the noodles the characteristic, roasted sesame taste. SO GOOD!
- Rice Vinegar + Lime Juice: emphasizes the richness of the sesame oil.
- Brown sugar: Helps balance out the savory and tangy flavors of the sesame dressing.
- Sesame seeds: add a touch of texture and sesame flavor.
- ginger paste: I LOVE a tablespoon of grated ginger in sesame dressing. Gourmet Gardens brand ginger paste is my top choice.
- Garlic: Raw garlic is so delicious in this dressing to mix it up. You can really taste it in the final cold sesame noodles.
- Red Chili Flakes: This is optional, but I like a little spiciness in the dressing. Alternatively, you can add a dollop of chili garlic crunch if you have that on hand.
Tips for gluten free cold pasta salads
If you’ve never made a cold gluten-free pasta salad before, you need to give it a little more thought compared to making a regular wheat pasta salad. Here are my top tips for success:
- Use brown rice noodles. In my experience, brown rice noodles stay softer and don’t break down after cooking and chilling in the fridge like gluten-free noodles made with corn-rice mix do. I like Jovial brand brown rice noodles.
- Serve immediately. Even cooked brown rice noodles will firm up a bit after chilling in the fridge. Therefore, to achieve the best possible consistency, serve the pasta salad immediately after assembly. If you must keep it in the fridge, I recommend not chilling it for more than 2 hours.
- Reserve some dressing. Similar to regular pasta salad, it’s helpful to reserve some of the dressing to drizzle over chilled pasta salad if you don’t plan to serve immediately, since the cooked pasta in the refrigerator can soak up some of the dressing.
Okay – let’s go ahead and dive into this bowl of deliciousness!
How to make Sesame Noodle Salad
Start by cooking a 12-ounce pack angel hair noodles Cook al dente in a large pot of water. Drain and run under cold water until cool.
As I said, I choose brown rice noodles for cold gluten-free pasta salads because they tend to stay softer in the fridge than gluten-free noodles made from a corn-rice mix. I love these happy gluten free capellini!
While the noodles are cooking, mix the sesame dressing in a mixing bowl or glass measuring cup. This dressing is packed with concentrated flavor. What’s in there:
- Gluten free tamari
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Brown sugar
- rice vinegar
- lime juice
- Sesame seeds
- ginger paste
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes OR Chili Garlic Crunch
Place the cold, drained pasta in a large mixing bowl, then drizzle over half of the sesame dressing and mix with tongs.
Let the noodles sit for 5 minutes so they start to fill with the dressing.
Meanwhile, cut and dice all the veggies and herbs, which add lots of fresh flavor and crunch to the cold sesame noodles. We have:
- snow peas
- Peeled edamame
- Shredded Carrots
- Red pepper
- Cucumber
- spring onions/scallions
- coriander
The final step is to drizzle the remaining sesame dressing on top and then mix it together with tongs. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour or two before serving to keep the pasta texture nice and tender.
MMMM – thinking about my last fork of this cold sesame noodle recipe, folks!! Fresh, flavorful, crunchy, chewy – EVERYTHING – I hope you give it a try at your next BBQ or pair it with your main course at dinner tonight! Enjoy!
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Description
Sesame Noodle Salad is fresh, light, and full of fresh veggies. Serve as a delicious side dish for dinner or enjoy these cold sesame noodles on their own!
Ingredients
- 12 ounce gluten-free angel hair pasta (I like Jovial Capellini)
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
- 1/2 cup frozen, peeled edamame, thawed in a bowl of warm water
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and then cut into strips
- 1/4 English cucumber or 1 mini cucumber, julienned
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- For the sesame dressing:
- 1/4 cup gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if traditional soy sauce is used)
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste (I like Gourmet Garden)
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes, optional
directions
- For the sesame dressing: Place the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir. Put aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta, then cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold running water until the pasta has cooled. Drain very well and then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle over half of the dressing, then mix with tongs and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Place the remaining ingredients and the sesame dressing in the mixing bowl and mix well with tongs. Serve immediately.
Remarks
- I prefer brown rice noodles when making a cold gluten-free pasta salad and would highly recommend Jovial Brown Rice Capellini (Angel Hair) for this recipe.
- This recipe tastes great with a dash of chilli crunch for the dressing!
- Like most pasta salads made with gluten-free pasta, this dish is best served immediately after preparation.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin