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Asian Pasta Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

Asian noodle salad with sesame pasta, crunchy cabbage and carrots, plus edamame in a bright sesame-ginger dressing. Cook-and-chill method keeps the vegetables crisp and the noodles silky, then finishes with green onions and sesame seeds.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

spaghetti or linguine
  • 1 lb spaghetti or linguine broken into thirds
edamame
  • 2 cup edamame shelled
red cabbage
  • 2 cup red cabbage shredded
carrots
  • 1 cup carrots shredded
red bell pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
soy sauce
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp rice vinegar
sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
honey
  • 1 tbsp honey
fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
garlic
  • 2 garlic minced
green onions
  • 0.25 cup green onions sliced
sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
pepper
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and rinse the pasta
  1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then cook the spaghetti or linguine according to package directions until tender but not mushy (about 8–10 minutes). Drain and rinse under cold water until the pasta feels cool to the touch (visual cue: no steam).
Make the sesame-ginger dressing
  1. Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, fresh ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper until the mixture looks glossy and evenly combined (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
Toss the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine pasta, edamame, red cabbage, carrots, and red bell pepper until the colors are evenly distributed (visual cue: red cabbage and carrots are visible throughout).
  2. Pour the sesame-ginger dressing over the salad and toss until every strand and vegetable is lightly coated (visual cue: pasta looks slick with dressing).
Chill and finish
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld and the dressing set slightly (visual cue: bowl looks chilled and veggies look crisp).
  2. Right before serving, top with green onions and sesame seeds and give a final toss so the sesame seeds are scattered on top (visual cue: sesame seeds are clearly visible).

Notes

For extra crunch, shred the cabbage and carrots uniformly and slice the bell pepper thinly so they soften minimally during chilling. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; the sesame seeds may lose some crunch but the flavor improves. Freezing is not recommended because the vegetables and noodles change texture. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free spaghetti or linguine and gluten-free soy sauce.