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    Home / Recipes / Sides / Salads

    Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    Jump to Recipe
    Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

    Bursting with color and flavor, Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is a perfect side dish. Carrots, red bell pepper, and edamame mixed with spiral pasta and peanuts are drenched in a delicious ginger dressing in this easy, impressive Thai noodle salad.

    Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
    Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

    Jump to:
    • 📹 Video
    • ⏲️ Time needed
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 📋 Instructions
    • ❓FAQ
    • 📖 Recipe

    📹 Video

    ⏲️ Time needed

    The dressing takes about 15 minutes to make, and the vegetables can be chopped in the time it takes to boil the pasta. Total prep time is about 25 minutes, and the salad should chill for at least an hour.

    🥘 Ingredients

    Ingredients for Thai Pasta Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing
    Ingredients for Thai Pasta Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing

    Sesame Ginger Dressing

    • vegetable oil
    • rice wine vinegar
    • tamari or soy sauce
    • Dijon mustard
    • freshly grated ginger
    • honey
    • toasted sesame oil
    • sriracha hot sauce

    Thai Pasta Salad

    • diced cucumber
    • diced red bell pepper
    • shredded carrots
    • whole cocktail peanuts
    • finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    • steamed and shelled edamame
    • tri-color rotini

    📋 Instructions

    Dressing

    The dressing can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

    Combine all of the dressing ingredients in the immersion blender container (if you do not have an immersion blender, you may use a regular blender). I do not recommend using a whisk to mix the dressing as it will be difficult to get it to the point of emulsifying.

    ingredients for sesame ginger dressing

    Blend for 1-2 minutes until the mixture has emulsified into a smooth consistency.

    Salad

    Cook pasta according to the package directions.

    pan with water and a bowl of rotini

    While the rotini is cooking, combine the peanuts, cilantro, and edamame in a large bowl with lid.

    Carrots, Red Bell Pepper peanuts, edamame, and cilantro in a bowl
    Ingredients for Thai Pasta Salad

    When the rotini is done, drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch, then drain pasta well. 

    Add to the vegetables in the bowl. Toss gently.

    mixing Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
    Toss the pasta, vegetables, and peanuts in a large bowl

    Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables and mix well.

    pouring sesame-ginger dressing over Thai pasta Salad
    Pour Sesame Ginger Dressing over Thai Pasta Salad

    Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until ready to serve. If preparing more than two hours in advance, wait to add dressing to salad until 1-2 hours before serving. 

    ❓FAQ

    What is edamame & how do I prepare it?

    Edamame (pronounced ed-uh-mah-mey) are young soybeans in the pod. They are lightly steamed or boiled in salt water before serving. Edamame are served either in the pod as a snack to be popped in the mouth directly from the pod, or shelled and added to recipes. 

    In Japan, salted edamame are often served on salad bars or as finger food at bars the way American bars might serve pretzels.

    In Thai Pasta Salad, they are are steamed, rinsed, and drained before adding to the pasta salad.

    What is tamari?

    Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce that is derived from miso paste. It is made with little to no wheat (San-J brand is gluten-free), and it has a richer flavor that taste less salty than soy sauce. 

    Tamari is generally more expensive than soy sauce and is harder to find in a store brand. I always use tamari when adding to sauces and dressings, but for recipes such as marinades where larger quantities are required, I use soy sauce.

    How do I grate fresh ginger?

    Ginger root is sold in the produce section of grocery stores. To use it in recipes, it should be peeled with a vegetable peeler to reveal the fresh, moist root under the dry skin. I generally peel about two inches of the root and use the unpeeled portion to hold while I grate it. 

    To grate, use the small section of a standing grater or for better results, a microplane grater. Push the peeled part of the root across the grating plane over a dish to catch the grated ginger. Periodically scrape the excess ginger clinging to the back side of the grater into the dish to clear the holes.

    Can I make Thai Pasta Salad in advance?

    Thai Pasta Salad is perfect for making in advance, but if making more than two hours before serving, each ingredient group (cooked pasta, prepared veggies, peanuts, and dressing) should be stored separately in the refrigerator and tossed together just before serving.

    Is this salad spicy?

    Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is only very slightly spicy, but if you would like to add some more kick to the salad, you could increase the amount of sriracha or add crushed red pepper flakes, chili paste, or chili oil.

    Can I use a different kind of pasta?

    Absolutely. You could substitute any other pasta shape, or even switch to soba noodles or rice noodles. 

    Can I make this gluten-free?

    Switching to soba noodles or rice noodles makes this recipe gluten-free as long as gluten-free tamari or soy sauce is used. The other ingredients are generally safe, but if they contain gluten it should be labeled as such.

    Can I make this salad peanut-free?

    If you want to avoid peanuts, you can substitute cashews or simply omit the peanuts from Thai Pasta Salad.

    Can I add onion?

    Although I prefer this pasta salad without onion, if I were to add it, I would use either chopped red onion or green onion. 

    📖 Recipe

    Colorful rotini pasta in a bowl with diced peppers and nuts

    Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    Bursting with color and flavor, Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is a perfect side dish. Carrots, red bell pepper, and edamame mixed with spiral pasta and peanuts are drenched in a delicious ginger dressing in this easy, impressive Thai noodle salad.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections
    Prep Time 25 mins
    Chill Time 1 hr
    Total Time 1 hr 25 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine Asian, Thai
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 409

    Equipment

    Immersion Blender
    Immersion Blender

    Ingredients
      

    Sesame Ginger Dressing

    • ¾ cup vegetable oil
    • 4-½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    • 2-¼ tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
    • 1-½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • 3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
    • 3-¾ tablespoons honey
    • ⅓ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
    • ⅓ teaspoon sriracha hot sauce

    Thai Pasta Salad

    • 1 cup diced cucumber
    • 1 cup diced red bell pepper
    • ⅔ cup shredded carrots
    • 1-⅓ cups whole cocktail peanuts
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
    • 1-½ cups steamed and shelled edamame
    • 16 ounces tri-color rotini
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Dressing

    • The dressing can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
    • Combine all of the dressing ingredients in the immersion blender container (if you do not have an immersion blender, you may use a regular blender). I do not recommend using a whisk to mix the dressing as it will be difficult to get it to the point of emulsifying.
    • Blend for 1-2 minutes until the mixture has emulsified into a smooth consistency.

    Salad

    • Cook pasta according to the package directions.
    • While the rotini is cooking, prepare the cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots, peanuts, cilantro, and edamame, and combine them in a large bowl with lid.
    • When the rotini is done, drain in a strainer or colander and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch.
    • Drain pasta well and add to the vegetables in the bowl. Toss gently.
    • Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetables and mix well. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until ready to serve. If preparing more than two hours in advance, wait to add dressing to salad until 1-2 hours before serving.

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 409 calCarbohydrates: 40 gProtein: 12 gFat: 24 gSodium: 226 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 8 gNet Carbohydrates: 36 g
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    Posted by Mary Ann on October 5, 2021Filed Under: Pasta/Rice Recipes, Salads

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