A summer time classic with a twist! This healthy cold Asian Pasta Salad is filled with pasta, cabbage, carrots, and edamame tossed with an easy homemade sesame ginger dressing and topped with mandarin oranges and sliced almonds. Quick and simple to make ahead!

No BBQ is complete without some sort of salad. Potato, macaroni, fruit, pasta… I love them all! Traditional pasta salad usually consists of Italian dressing, tomatoes, cold cut meats, and cheese. I thought an Asian twist would be a welcoming change to a classic BBQ dish!

A few months ago, I had an Asian chicken salad that had the most amazing sesame ginger dressing. I knew I needed to recreate it for this dish! This dressing compliments all of the veggies so well. I served it as a side dish for dinner one night and served the leftovers with grilled chicken for lunch the next day. Switch things up and make this for your next summertime get together. It will definitely be a crowd pleaser!

Tidbits

Pasta– Any pasta will work! I use brown rice fusilli pasta to keep it gluten free. Use spaghetti for a lo mein twist!

Veggies– I used red and green cabbage, carrots, and shelled edamame. If you would like to save time, using the bagged pre-cut coleslaw mix would work in a pinch! Thinly sliced red bell pepper and snow peas would also be great additions!

Coconut Aminos vs Soy Sauce– Coconut aminos is what I use as a substitute for soy sauce. It has a slight sweetness that soy sauce does not have. Due to this, I do not add honey to the dressing. If you are using soy sauce, you may want to add a little bit of honey to counterbalance the vinegar and lime juice. Also, coconut aminos is lower in sodium. So if you are using soy sauce, mix the dressing ingredients without the salt and then add salt to taste.

Serving Size– This recipe makes about 6-7 servings, if you serve it as a side dish. It can easily be doubled for BBQs or potlucks! Or you can top it with grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a delicious entrée.

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Asian Pasta Salad

A summer time classic with an Asian twist! This healthy cold Asian Pasta Salad is filled with Pasta, cabbage, carrots, and edamame coated with an easy homemade sesame ginger dressing and topped with mandarin oranges and sliced almonds. Quick and simple to make ahead!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked pasta any variety
¾ cup red cabbage finely shredded
¾ cup green cabbage finely shredded
1 medium carrot shredded (about 1 cup)
½ cup edamame shelled
½ cup mandarin oranges
3 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 tablespoon cilantro finely minced

Sesame Ginger Dressing

3 tablespoons coconut aminos
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
1 ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves finely minced
3 teaspoons fresh ginger grated or finely minced
½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon salt *see notes
fresh cracked pepper to taste
½ tablespoon honey (optional) *see notes

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the Sesame Ginger dressing.
Add the pasta, red and green cabbage, carrot, edamame to the dressing. Mix until all of the ingredients have been coated with the dressing.
Add the mandarin oranges, almonds, and cilantro. Gently stir to combine.
Serve cold.

Notes

If you plan on making this in advance, I recommend keeping the dressing separate from the rest of the ingredients. Stir the dressing into the pasta and veggie mixture right before serving. This will help keep the vegetables crisp and the pasta fresh.

If you are using soy sauce instead of coconut aminos, you might need to use less salt, if any. Mix the dressing ingredients without the salt. Add salt to taste.

Coconut aminos has a slightly sweet taste compared to soy sauce. When using coconut aminos, I do not add honey to the dressing. If you are using soy sauce, you may want to add a little bit of honey to counterbalance the vinegar and lime juice.