I am actually really not a salad fan. As in, at all. I eat it as a duty to my health while I crave a big bowl of spaghetti bolognese and fudgy chocolate brownies for dessert. So I see noodle salads as a good compromise to help make salads more palatable for me and get my veggies. This week I made an incredible crunchy Thai noodle salad inspired by one I had at a local Thai restaurant not too long ago. It blew my mind with how flavorful it was. I actually ENJOYED a salad, people!! This version was really simple to make, and the dressing was the star for sure.
I just tossed all of those glorious ingredients and dressing together and my crunchy Thai noodle salad was ready! With all of the flavors and tender noodles I totally forgot that I was eating a pretty healthy meal that was, *gasp*, salad. Hope you all enjoy it too! It’s really refreshing for summer and stays crunchy for a couple of days to make it ahead. xoxo
This is such an incredible and satisfying crunchy Thai noodle salad packed with yummy veggies and tossed in a sensational almond butter dressing!
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 6 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 whole limes zested and juiced
- 8 ounces Pad Thai style rice noodles
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 cups shredded carrots I used a bunch of rainbow carrots
- 1 whole red onion thinly sliced
- 4 whole scallions thinly sliced
- 1 whole red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cashews roughly chopped
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First, get a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the noodles. Then make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend it all together thoroughly into a gorgeous, flavorful dressing. This makes a double batch to dress the salad with plenty to your taste and still have some leftover. Set the dressing aside and cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Mine just boiled for a couple of minutes before I drained them and ran them thoroughly under cold water.
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Toss the cooked noodles with the cabbage, carrot, red onion, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro and cashews and enough dressing to really coat it well to your taste. Serve immediately and enjoy as a refreshing, cold summer salad! It also keeps well and stays crunchy for a couple of days in a sealed container if you make it ahead.
I wish I had this tasty looking bowl for breakfast right now…is that wrong? Pinned!
Ha, not wrong at all!! Thanks very much :-).
How delicious is THIS?! I love all the generous helpings of veggies. And the carrots and cabbage add a nice crunch!
Thanks very much!!
Noodles *definitely* make a salad more appealing…. This looks delicious. I wish I could reach into the computer and grab it for lunch : ).
Thank you so much!!
I drool over noodles as well. I like it more than rice (which the staple food in my part of the world). Thank you for the recipe. It would come handy. Pics look delicious. 🙂
Thanks very much!!
This looks absolutely amazing! I am going to try it out this weekend!
Thanks so much, let me know what you think!
This looks delish! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks very much, let me know what you think!!
You seriously always share the BEST recipes! I’m going to try and make this next week. I’ve been exploring cooking more now that my 3-year-old is eating more textures and types of food then he use to.
Oh thank you so much, that means a lot!! I hope both you and your little one love this recipe :-).
This salad has it all! The colors and textures are so appealing.
Thank you so much!!