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 or sliced, sliced, divided
Peanuts (dry-roasted or raw, unsalted, no sugar added)
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.
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