This Asian Noodle Salad is a delicious and easy side dish that’s perfect for potlucks, midweek lunches, or a light meal on its own. It’s refreshing, flavorful, and super simple to make.

I love a good and satisfying salad in the summer! All I want to do is hang out with my boys or relax at the pool or beach with a good book. I just don’t have the interest to be indoors cooking when it’s 35C+ out. The best part about this salad is that it’s quick to make and is served cold, so fuss free all around. It can easily be made the night before as it keeps really well in the fridge. The flavors have time to mingle and it becomes even more flavorful! 

This salad tastes excellent both cold and at room temperature and it’s always a big hit! If you’ve hung around our house for lunch in the summer, I’m sure you’ve had a taste! 😉 If you have the time to spare, I suggest refrigerating it for a few hours or overnight. It also tastes amazing if there’s any left over. Store the Asian Noodle Salad in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator but if you’ll be serving at room temperature, don’t leave it unrefrigerated longer than 3 hours.

Yield: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 green onions sliced
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 small orange bell pepper, diced
•  8 ounces Linguine pasta

Dressing

• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, very finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop and prepare the vegetables; set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vegetable oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, and fresh ginger together. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta in a large pot of water according to package directions. Drain water. (DO NOT RINSE the noodles: warm pasta absorbs the dressing better than cold pasta does.)
4. Add cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add the vegetables to the noodles and toss to combine. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss again to distribute.
5. While you can serve immediately, the flavors are best after the pasta salad has been refrigerated for at least 1 hour, even better after 4-8 hours or overnight.

Adapted from Food