Cold peanut noodles

5 from 4 votes

Invigorate your picnic game with this cold noodle salad in a zingy peanut sauce. Loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables, it's a complete meal in a bowl.

This salad is vegan by design and gluten-free optional by using gluten-free noodles or substituting spiralized vegetable noodles instead.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Asian, Vegan

Keyword: cookout recipe, picnic food, potluck dish

Servings: people

Calories: 354kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

8 ounces whole wheat fusilli pasta or penne
4 radishes thinly sliced
2 small carrots thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
½ bell pepper red, yellow, or orange, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
½ cup chopped cilantro
6 to 7 Tablespoons peanut butter natural
2 Tablespoons tamari
2 Tablespoons brown rice vinegar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon sriracha or to taste
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Handful of peanuts whole or coarsely chopped
Cubed baked tofu or vegan chick'n strips (Optional toppings)

Instructions

Cook whole wheat fusilli pasta or penne according to package instructions. Drain & allow the noodles to cool for a few minutes.
While the noodles are cooking & cooling, make the rest of the salad.
Put the sliced radishes, carrots, chopped yellow onion, bell pepper, garlic, and cilantro into a big mixing bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine 6 Tablespoons peanut butter, tamari, brown rice vinegar, water, sriracha, and sesame oil with a fork or whisk.
The sauce should have the texture of a thick ranch dressing. Peanut butters vary in their viscosity. So if your sauce is too thin, add the remaining Tablespoon of peanut butter, and fully combine it with the sauce.
Put the noodles into the mixing bowl with the vegetables. Top the noodles and vegetables with the peanut sauce, using a serving spoon to get everything fully combined. Top with a handful of peanuts.
Serve right away or put it into the refrigerator in a covered container until serving time.
Stir the peanut noodle salad before serving, and top with cubed baked tofu or vegan chick'n strips (optional).

Notes

The noodle salad will stay perfectly creamy in the refrigerator for a day or two. But if the noodles absorb the liquid and become dry, give them a splash of tamari, brown rice vinegar, sriracha, and/or water. Then give a stir before serving.

Nutrition