Warm weather is here and nothing tastes better than a fresh and crispy noodle salad with Asian-inspired flavors!
Sesame ginger noodle salad is always a colorful favorite menu and easy to make. This recipe is great topped with grilled chicken or shrimp and keeps well for a couple of days making for great lunches.
Savory Sesame Salad
- Fancy enough for company but easy to make!
- Great as a side dish but hearty enough as an entrée salad! Perfect for workday lunches!
- Swap out the cooked chicken for grilled chicken or shrimp if you’d like.
- Use the homemade dressing below or swap for a store-bought sesame ginger dressing if you’re in a rush.
- We love cutting our own julienne veggies but a fresh broccoli slaw or coleslaw mix can be added.
What’s in Noodle Salad?
NOODLES Rice noodles are the light and delicate noodle we love best. You can sub in ramen noodles, angel hair pasta, or spaghettini. For a low-carb noodle salad, use zucchini zoodles!
VEGETABLES Bok choy is also called Chinese cabbage and it’s fresh and crisp. Regular cabbage (or mix with red cabbage for color) can also be used. Add or swap out any of the veggies you’d like in this recipe.
EXTRAS The sesame ginger dressing and the garnishes pull the whole recipe together. Fresh lime juice, cilantro, and crunchy almonds, cashews, or peanuts create an amazing palate.
VEGGIE TIP:
- This recipe involves a lot of cutting/chopping. This can be done in advance.
- If you’re short on time, purchase washed chopped veggies or substitute your favorite prepared veggie mix or even coleslaw/broccoli slaw.
- If you are planning for leftovers, swap out the purple cabbage for green cabbage. The purple can discolor if left in the dressing.
How to Make Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad
- Cook, drain, & rinse noodles. Set aside.
- While noodles are cooking, chop veggies (per the recipe below).
- Place noodles in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients.
- Toss well & chill for at least 1 hour.
- Garnish with cilantro & chopped nuts.
What to Serve with Noodle Salad
Keep in mind, this sesame ginger noodle salad is hearty enough to be an entrée on its own, here are some ideas that really make it stand out!
For appetizers, who doesn’t love Fried Wontons, Soy Ginger Steak Bites, or some Crab Rangoon (crab & cream cheese-filled wontons)?
Skip the cooked chicken and top it with any of the following:
- Shrimp
- Grilled Pork
- Baked Tofu
- Honey Glazed Salmon
- Chicken Breasts
Recipe Tips
- For extra flavorful and crunchy nuts, toast them in a dry sauté pan until they are barely browned.
- To extract the most juice from the lime, soften it by rolling it across the counter a few times before cutting it.
- Rinse the noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking.
- Keep in mind that the noodles will absorb the dressing as it sits so add a bit of extra dressing.
Storing
Store sesame ginger noodle salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before serving, stir and season with a little lime juice or extra dressing.
Freezing noodle salad is not recommended as the noodles won’t thaw well, it’s just so much better to make a fresh bowl of this easy salad!
More Favorite Salads
- Bean Sprout Salad – fresh & crisp
- Cilantro Lime Coleslaw
- Asian Chicken Salad – with homemade dressing
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Ramen Noodle Salad – a potluck fave
- Greek Salad
- Asian Chopped Salad – colorful & crunchy
Did you make this Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
5 from 16 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!
Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad
Bright, colorful, & flavorful, this Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad is the perfect option for lunch or dinner!
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes minutes
Chill Time 1 hour hour
Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author Holly Nilsson
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium rice noodles
- 4 cups bok choy and/or cabbage, thinly sliced, or coleslaw mix
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 1 cup snap peas sliced
- 1 cup cucumber cut into matchsticks or thinly sliced
- ¾ to 1 cup sesame ginger dressing or homemade dressing in the notes
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 carrot julienned or shredded
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup toasted almonds or cashews for garnish
Instructions
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
Place noodles and remaining salad ingredients in a bowl. Toss well to combine.
Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Garnish with nuts and additional cilantro if desired.
Notes
If using store-bought dressing, stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon peanut butter for extra flavor.
Quick Homemade Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
- For extra flavorful and crunchy nuts, toast them in a dry sauté pan until they are barely browned.
- To extract the most juice from the lime, soften it by rolling it across the counter a few times before cutting it.
- Rinse the noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking.
- Keep in mind that the noodles will absorb the dressing as it sits so add a bit of extra dressing.
5 from 16 votes
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 307 | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3137IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Pasta, Salad
Cuisine American, Asian
© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Categories:
Healthy Recipes, Lunch, Recipes, Salads
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About the author
Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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