ASIAN PASTA SALAD

Asian Pasta Salad

Prep Time

20 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

This Asian Pasta Salad has a satisfying crunchy texture and a completely addictive sesame-soy dressing that will have everyone coming back for seconds!

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 326 kcal

Ingredients

Sesame-Soy Dressing:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Pasta Salad:

• 12 ounces bow tie pasta (about 4 cups)
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast meat (to save time use a store bought rotisserie chicken)
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds or peanut pieces

Instructions

1. Mix together dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl with tight fitting lid. Shake well and set aside.
2. Boil bow tie pasta for 10 minutes or about one minute shy of the package directions. Pour cooked pasta into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool down the pasta. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. 
3. Mix in remaining salad ingredients. Give dressing a good shake and pour over the salad. Mix well.

Recipe Notes

Make-Ahead Instructions:

If you'd like to get some of the prep out of the way you can boil the pasta the day before. Rinse it well with cold water, drain it completely, and then toss it with a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil to prevent it from sticking. Transfer the cooked pasta to a gallon size plastic storage bag and refrigerate overnight. Assemble the salad no more than an hour or two before serving for the best result and reserve nuts to add just before serving.