Photo of Sesame-ginger pasta salad by WW

Sesame-ginger pasta salad

4
Points®
Total Time
35 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
10 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
This pasta salad is packed with fresh crisp vegetables, salty nuts and Asian seasonings. It's a flavorful side dish that's easy to prepare. Ready in just over 30 minutes, you can use this salad as the start to a meal as well as the base to a dinner, ready for grilled shrimp, seared scallops or grilled chicken. Keep it vegan with some seared tofu on top. Have a cook-out, serve this pasta alongside some grilled flank steak, thinly sliced. If peanuts are an issue, try using toasted sesame seeds for a similar crunch and a nut-like flavor.

Ingredients

Uncooked whole wheat spaghetti

8 oz, or buckwheat soba noodles

Water

¼ cup(s)

Less sodium soy sauce

2½ Tbsp

Canola oil

2 Tbsp

Rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp

Dark sesame oil

2 tsp

Fresh ginger

1½ tsp, freshly grated

Sugar

1 tsp

Jarred minced garlic

½ tsp

Cucumber

1 cup(s), English-variety, cut into 2-inch long thin sticks, divided

Radishes

¾ cup(s), sliced, thinly sliced and then each slice cut in half, divided

Carrots

¾ cup(s), thinly sliced diagonally and then each slice cut in half, divided

Scallions

¼ cup(s), chopped, sliced, divided

Peanuts

3 Tbsp, chopped, divided

Crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain spaghetti; rinse under cold running water and drain again.
  2. In a large serving bowl, whisk together water, soy sauce, canola oil, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, sugar and garlic until blended.
  3. Add pasta, 3/4 cup of cucumber, 1/2 cup each of radishes and carrots, 3 tablespoons of scallions and 2 tablespoons of peanuts; toss to mix and coat.
  4. Sprinkle salad with remaining cucumber, radishes, carrots, scallions and peanuts; sprinkle with red pepper flakes and serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.