Asian Pasta Salad

If you want to make a pasta salad everyone will be talking about, this Asian Pasta Salad is it! This is a robust vegetable salad with pasta in it that is so flavorful, it will wow the room.

I came across this dish years and years ago over on Ree Drummonds' (aka The Pioneer Woman) site, Tasty Kitchen. Long before she was a household name.  

As a matter of fact, back then, no one and I mean no one in my corner of the world (Southeastern Pennsylvania) ever heard of Ree when I brought up her name. I would always say she's huge, she has tons of followers and it was always like chirp...chirp. Well...look at her now!

Why You'll LOVE this Asian Pasta Salad

It's fresh, flavorful and pretty! This sald has a lot going on yet each component woirks in concert with the others. It's lovley! This salad always impresses when I serve it or bring it to BBQ's.

I have been making this salad half of my life, it that good! Sometimes I make it meatless, sometimes I make it as an Asian Steak Salad but most often I make it with marinated and grilled chicken sliced down. I have the recipe for that in the notes area of the recipe card.

Ingredients

• Linguine (or another pasta or noodle)
• Napa cabbage, purple cabbage, baby spinach
• Red bell pepper, scallions, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, ginger & garlic
• Peanuts
• Honey
• Limes
• Avocado or olive oil, sesame oil
• Soy sauce, chili garlic sauce
• Brown sugar
• Chicken breasts (optional but delicious)

I changed it up a bit and added in some protein in the form of marinated and grilled chicken. This salad is easy to make, especially ff making it meatless. The chopping of all the veggies does take some time. However it's well worth it!  

This salad is a perfect harmony of flavors. Two types of cabbage, fresh spinach, peppers, cucumbers, scallions and a burst of fresh taste only cilantro can lend to a dish. Peanuts for crunch and of course the pasta. Add the flavorful dressing and you have a home run!  

Variations

• Choose to add grilled chicken in or leave it vegetarian, I have included how to marinate and grill the chicken in the notes section of the recipe card below.
• Want protein but want to keep it meatless? Add in this delciious Air Fried Tofu.
• Change up the vegetables, take out what you don't enjoy (or don't have on hand) and swap for what you do enjoy (and have on hand).
• If nuts are an issue, you can leave them out or better yet, serve them on the side. They really do add something special.

Colleen's Tips

Prep the salad the day before or morning of and assemble the compements just before serving. OR assemble the salad and add the dressing just before serving.

I also like to save some of the components to layer on top (after tossing the salad in the dressing) to make it pretty for serving. Drizzle additional dressing over the top.

I hope you find this Asian Pasta Salad as delicious & as pretty as I do. AND, if you make it and get a couple of ooh's and aaah's...I want to hear about it 🙂

I really hope you do give this special salad recipe a try, it's a home run of flavors and textures. I can never get enough of this Asian salad recipe!

Enjoy! XO Colleen

Recipe originally posted in 2009, updated January, 2024.

Other Salad Recipes you may enjoy

Asian Pasta Salad

Colleen Kennedy

Asian Pasta Salad is different and delicious! A perfect pasta salad for barbecues and parties! People go crazy for this recipe. This Asian Salad recipe can be served vegetarian or with chicken or tofu, its super flexible.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Asian

Servings 8 servings

Calories 367 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 box of linguine noodles cooked al dente and rinsed with cold water – toss with a bit of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking while you prep
• ½ head of thinly sliced Napa cabbage more or less
• ½ small head purple cabbage more or less
• 2 cups baby spinach or more or less
• 1 red bell pepper sliced thin
• 4 scallions sliced white and green
• 1 cucumber peeled and cut into quarter chunks
• 1 ½ cups of chopped cilantro more or less
• 1 cup of honey roasted peanuts, rough chopped optional
• 1 jalapeno slice thinly into rings optional
• Dressing
• 2 TBS honey
• 1 TBS fresh lime juice
• ½ cup avocado or olive oil
• 3 TBS sesame oil Asian section
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
• 1 TBS chili garlic sauce Asian section

Instructions

 

• For Salad
• Place ½ the pasta in your bowl or on your serving dish, toss with some of the dressing, layer on ½ of your salad ingredients. Drizzle with some of the dressing.
• Repeat (tossing linguine with some of the dressing before you add it). Drizzle liberally with remaining dressing.
• For dressing
• Combine all ingredients, whisk well until incorporated. Pour dressing over just prior to serving. Toss very well.(If you have juice from your chicken after you slice it down…throw it into the dressing as well)
• This dish is best served at room temperature.
• ** I usually double the recipe. It is still delicious left over.

Notes

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Whisk together the 3 ingredients, pour over chicken and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 4 hours. Tossing every so often.

Once ready, preheat grill cook chicken over medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Flipping once to achieve some nice grill marks. Eatch for flare up from the honey.

Pull from the marinade (thow away marinade), and on a clean and oiled grill, cook your chicken breasts till done, being careful to not overcook. Tip: Finish the cook on indirect heat if flare ups occure due to the honey in the marinade. I really like the char that happens on areas of the chicken. Once the chicken is done, allow it to rest and cool. Then slice down for salad. (You can make chicken a day ahead and slice when ready to add to salad).

 

Nutrition

Serving: 8servingsCalories: 367kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 9gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 1025mgPotassium: 622mgFiber: 5gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 2261IUVitamin C: 74mgCalcium: 116mgIron: 2mg

Keyword asian pasta salad, Asian Pasta Salad Recipe

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