Rainbow Noodles with Tangy Asian Dressing
Bursting with vibrant colors and bold flavor, these rainbow noodles are fresh, flavorful and an amazing way to eat the rainbow. Featuring spaghetti noodles, a tangy Asian dressing, and a medley of crisp veggies—carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, and purple cabbage and finished with fresh herbs, crunchy cashews and edamame; this is packed full of wonderful nutrients and antioxidants.
Erica’s Thoughts
I loooove a giant Asian noodle salad. It’s one of my favorite salads and I’m shocked and appalled it’s taken me this long to get this recipe posted to the blog. A few years ago my family decided to do Asian-inspired food every Christmas eve, and this noodle salad is always on the menu.
Here’s why I love it:
- Return on Investment: I will acknowledge there is a lot of chopping here, a small sacrifice but I guarantee this dish alone is worth it. Plus chopping these veggies and herbs pay dividends when you have excess prepped that can be used in many other dishes. Be sure to check out the linked recipes below to put your hard work here to further use!
- Balance: the dressing has the ideal balance of sweet, umami, tangy and a tiny bit of spice.
- Easy assembly: we’ve covered the investment in chopping above. The assembly is the easy part! You can easily dictate the order of operations when assembling to reserve various veggies, noodles, herbs, and toppings if you have a picky eater like me. I will reserve edamame, plain noodles, and raw veggies (with ranch) and serve as individual components to make the meal more enticing and successful for my kiddos!
- Leftovers: the best part is this dish is even better the next day. The noodles and veggies absorb more of the dressing and are even more flavorful. I also love that this takes less time, in fact no time to enjoy– zero heating or assembly required. Straight out of the fridge it’s ready to be served!
What You’ll Need to Make Rainbow Noodles
For the dressing:
Avocado oil: avocado oil has a neutral taste which helps highlight the other ingredients in this zingy dressing.
Low sodium soy sauce: low sodium soy sauce can be found in international foods aisle of the grocery store. Typically green packaging is associated with the low sodium offering.
Lime juice: fresh limes add a tang and brightness to the dish. To maximize the amount of lime juice, roll the limes on the counter for 15 seconds to help break up the segments to squeeze out more juice.
Brown sugar: brown sugar has a deeper sweetness than regular sugar and contrasts with other ingredients to compliment the other dressing components nicely. You could also use honey, maple syrup or cane sugar.
Ginger: ginger is great for your immune system and essential for the burst of flavor in this dressing. This is found near garlic cloves and shallots in produce section.
Garlic: raw, finely chopped garlic enhances the dish and adds a robust flavor to the dressing. Don’t skip it!
Hoisin sauce: hoisin is thicker than soy sauce with a salty and sweet taste that enhances Asian sauces incredibly well. You can find it in the international foods aisle at a regular grocery store or at your local Asian grocery store.
Chili crisp: chili crisp is a spicy, crunchy condiment that originated in Chinese cuisine and adds a subtle bit of spice to the dressing. I personally like Momofuku or Fly by Jing spicy chili crisp.
For the salad:
Thin spaghetti: I strongly recommend thin spaghetti noodles for a perfect texture with all the herbs and veggies.
English cucumber: I like this variety of cucumber because it has smaller and fewer seeds and is less bitter than traditional cucumber.
Carrots: these add brightness, orange color and slightly crunchy texture to accentuate the noodles.
Red bell pepper: bell pepper is a good source of vitamin C. I find red superior in taste and this rounds out our rainbow colors.
Purple cabbage: also sometimes called red cabbage. Often slightly sweeter than green cabbage and gives the most vibrant pop of color to this dish.
Tuscan kale: also referred to as Lacinato kale or dinosaur kale. Tuscan kale has a deeper green color and softer texture compared to regular kale.
Shelled edamame: I find this in the freezer section of my grocery store, labeled as Mukimame. Mukimame is technically the Japanese term for the shelled soybeans.
Fresh herbs: any combo of mint, basil, cilantro, green onions, I vote ALL of them please.
Roasted cashews: salted roasted cashews add crunch and contrast to the tangy dish.
How to Make Rainbow Noodles
Cutting board: Gently rinse herbs with cold water and let dry while you chop your other ingredients. Start by finely chopping your garlic cloves and setting aside in a small bowl or directly into your mason jar/salad shaker. Next grate 2-inch knob ginger, you can peel skin using a vegetable peeler or even a spoon to remove the skin and then grate a generous amount into your container to assemble dressing. Set dressing container aside. Peel and cut carrots into matchsticks. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scrape out the soft inside and slice into half moon pieces. Slice kale, bell pepper and cabbage and roughly chop cashews.
To your salad shaker: Use a lime juicer to squeeze lime juice into your mason jar/salad shaker. Squeeze 1/4 lime juice (about 2 1/2 limes) and extra limes can be cut into wedges and served on the side. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, avocado oil, hoisin and chili crisp to your dressing container and shake vigorously to emulsify.
For the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the thin spaghetti noodles, following package instructions for cook times (mine took 7 minutes). I like noodles slightly al dente because they soften further when combined with dressing and veggies. Place cooked spaghetti and kale in a large bowl and immediately add about a quarter of dressing and gently mix around to prevent the cooked noodles from sticking and allowing them to absorb the bright flavor of the dressing immediately. Let noodles cool slightly (a couple minutes) and then add all the chopped vegetables, edamame, cashews, herbs and remaining dressing. Toss well until evenly mixed. Serve with a drizzle of sriracha, squeeze of lime and/or sprinkle of herbs.
Variation Ideas
- Swap cashews for salted roasted peanuts for an equally satisfying topping.
- If you like more nutty flavors replace the lime dressing for my peanut sauce.
- Add protein: bake or fry tofu, chicken breast or shrimp with teriyaki sauce to have as a warm side dish or crispy topping for the noodles.
- The vegetable variety is quite robust in this dish (hence the name rainbow noodles) but if you feel strongly about skipping a particular one- feel free to do so! You could also add other veggies like bok choy, green cabbage or sliced onion!
Expert Tips
- Remember to zest your lime before slicing it in half.
- Salting the pasta water is best practice when cooking pasta and gives your noodle a baseline delicious taste. Many noodles come in 1 lb (16 oz) quantity so you can choose to either cook half or cook the entire amount and set aside half for later use.
- A package of coleslaw mix containing shredded cabbage and carrots is an easy shortcut for a head of cabbage. You could also use the ginger paste or garlic paste for a dressing shortcut.
- Follow package directions on bag to prepare edamame (or place in a colander and run it under hot water for about 1 minute). Once thawed, I like to drizzle the beans with a little sesame oil and sprinkle salt before incorporating into any dish.
- I like to scrape the watery seeds from my cucumber so that it doesn’t make the leftovers soggy.
FAQs
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles, ramen noodles, linguine style rice noodles, rice vermicelli and soba noodles are all good alternatives.
Swap spaghetti noodles for a Banza noodle or another brand that incorporate legumes for added protein content. Keep in mind that legume-based noodles do fall apart more easily so they might break apart as leftovers. Another idea is to add diced or shredded chicken, crispy tofu, extra edamame or shrimp.
Use sriracha sauce, red pepper flakes, or the chili onion crunch from Trader Joe’s. Increase or decrease this element to control the level of spice.
Use seasoned rice vinegar in an equivalent amount.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. This salad holds up shockingly well due to the hearty veggies and I think it tastes even better as it sits! Sometimes I’ll toss with a splash more lime juice, hoisin sauce and sriracha to liven it up right before eating.
Need ideas that use the same produce and fresh herbs as these rainbow noodles? 👇🏼
Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
Our week just got a whole lot more colorful and flavorful, let’s make this gorg rainbow noodle salad!
Print
Rainbow Noodles with Tangy Asian Dressing
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rainbow noodles featuring a spectrum of crunchy vegetables, saucy noodles and crunchy cashews! Fresh, vibrant, and bursting with flavor—perfect lunch meal prep or an easy dinner.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2-inch knob ginger, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)
- 1/2 tablespoon chili crisp
Salad
- 8oz thin spaghetti
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, ribs removed and thinly sliced
- 1 English cucumber, sliced in half moons
- 1 cup julienned carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 cups purple cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 2 cups fresh herbs- mint, basil, cilantro, green onions
- 1 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
Instructions
Dressing
In a salad shaker or mason jar, whisk or vigorously shake together all of the dressing ingredients.
Salad
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, chop the veggies, herbs and cashews. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl. Toss the noodles immediately with about a fourth of the dressing and the kale, letting the warm noodles soften the kale a little. When the noodles are slightly cooled, add the cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, cabbage, edamame, fresh herbs and more dressing, tossing until well combined. Fold in the cashews and serve at room temperature with another little drizzle of dressing and sprinkle of herbs.
Notes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 recipe (about 2 heaping cups salad)
- Calories: 356
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 975.7 mg
- Fat: 24.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.7 g
- Fiber: 5.3 g
- Protein: 8.5 g
- Cholesterol: 2.8 mg
I made this for dinner tonight. It was AMAZING!!! I wasn’t sure how my hubby would like it, he is “meat and potatoes “, but he loved it! First time we ever argued over who was getting leftovers for lunch!
Amazing Barb, I always LOVE when I can convert a ‘meat and potatoes’ guy 😂 My dad is the same way!
Delicious! The mix of fresh veggies, noodles, and tangy Asian dressing made for a light but super flavorful dish. Easy to make, colorful, and delicious—definitely adding this to my go-to recipes!
Yaaaay Laura, so happy you loved it!
The Rainbow Noodles were Aaaamazing!! I didn’t have housin sauce or edamame so I used oyster sauce and shrimp. This is the first time me and my husband argued over left overs for lunch! He is the “meat and potatoes ” type and he loved this dish!
This recipe is AMAZING!! I didn’t have hoisin sauce or edamame, so I used oyster sauce and shrimp. This is the first time me and my husband argued over who was getting left overs for lunch! My husband is typically “meat and potatoes”, and he loved it!!
So good! The sauce is incredible and this makes the best leftovers!
Another winner recipe, Erica! Simple ingredients that really all shine in this one! I love the chili crisp being included (and we each added more individually to taste)…really helped make this perfect! Thanks again!!
Hi Erica, hello from Germany…..This was Dinner today , everybody loved it … ( Skipped the edamames and Chashews)
Served with grilled pork tenderloin (First bbq this Season ) and hubby said: “ Let’s das this to our standard recipes “
Thanks for the Inspiration…
I’ve had this on my list to make for a couple of weeks. Glad I did it! So flavorful and delicious. I love a salad that can be made and enjoyed for a couple of days. Great idea for a potluck as it can be served at room temp.
Yes and YES! Glad you liked this one Eva! Thank you very much for making it and for your review, I really appreciate it!
Soooo GOOD!!! Such a pretty and flavorful salad! Doubling it next time!
Made this recipe and it was a hit! The next day my husband was telling his mom about it, and he had to send her the recipe because she wanted to make it for her ladies’ bunco night!
Oh my 🤤
This was as if I made a recipe you’d find at a restaurant! Added grilled chicken for protein boost. Even my non adventurous hubby liked it!
Yaaay for winning over the non-adventurous hubby! Thanks for making it Elly!
Outstanding salad! The color and flavors are bright and lively and it’s just scrumptious! Don’t skimp on the herbs, and I kept the cashews out until I dished up. I also broke the spaghetti into smaller pieces before cooking. The dressing? So yummy!!
Heck yessss, all amazing tips, thank you Robin!
Made this for a work potluck and EVERYONE loved and asked for the recipe. So fresh and flavorful! Will definitely be making again 🙂
Delicious! I added sesame seeds to the top and peanut butter to the dressing. Used the bottom of the dressing to marinate some tofu and ate it on top. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Yummmm! Love the tofu addition!
I LOVE this recipe! It’s fun and colorful. The dressing is bomb too! I think I went a little too heavy on the spaghetti noodles, and swapped the kale for shredded cabbage and spinach, but it was still fantastic. Chef’s kiss!Thank you for sharing this recipe! It’s a keeper for sure!
Woot woot! Happy to hear it Jenifer! Thanks for making it 🙂 and for your review, really appreciate it.
As soon as I tasted this recipe, I immediately put the ingredients I needed for another batch on next week’s grocery list. You will NOT be disappointed by these. The flavor of the dressing and combination of flavors and textures is INCREDIBLE! Not to mention full of foods that are excellent for you! I have been following Erica for years and all her recipes match her theme of “it’s a flavorful life.” Everything is truly SO flavorful and mouth watering! She takes the time to offer alternatives in her recipes to make it easy to adjust to dietary restrictions, allergies, etc. She recommends different types of proteins and what swaps will give similar flavors but can be tailored to ingredients you have at home. Her recipes and blog posts are so well thought out detailed. Now go do yourself a favor and make these noods!
Aw Gabey thank you, I appreciate this so, so much, it made my whole evening!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and RIGHT!? These noodles are my fave 😍
I have been wanting to make this for awhile … why did I wait ??? It is SO good!! Big hit with the family. Going to make it for the next picnic we have too !
Thank you for all your recipes ☺️