Pasta, Recipes, Sides

Sweet Asian Pasta Salad

Sarah

Planning my lunch during the week is one of biggest stresses of my day. This is mostly because I have to take a packed lunch. Since I don’t always have access to a microwave [and never have access to a fridge], I have to get creative about packing filling and tasty cold lunches. I can only eat so many sandwiches! One of the ways I’ve been able to mix up my lunches and ensure that I actually enjoy what I eat is by making creative pasta salads. I used to just pour some ranch dressing and BBQ sauce on my pasta and call it a day. But now, I’ve become a little more grown-up with my cold pasta toppings, and have found a few combinations that I absolutely love! This Sweet Asian mix is one of them.

I love the burst of flavors in every bite. Garlic and onion mixed with the sweetness of honey and peanut butter. The tang of cilantro mellowing with the spice of red chili peppers. Plus veggies for some crunch! Add some apple slices, carrots, and crackers and you have yourself one tasty lunch!

Sweet Asian Pasta Salad - a fresh 'n flavorful pasta salad that I adore

Sweet Asian Pasta Salad

  • Servings: 6
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked
  • 1/2 cup green pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup broccoli crowns, cut into bite-sized pieces if necessary
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • freshly ground pepper
  • red chili flakes

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, whisk together coconut milk, olive oil, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, and peanut butter. Combine green pepper, broccoli, onion, garlic, and cilantro together in a medium sized bowl (my one quart bowl was just barely big enough). When pasta is cooked to al dente, add to veggies, pour in dressing and toss with salad tongs to coat.  Serve immediately or refrigerate/ice pack until lunch time! 🙂

Do you pack your lunch? What are some of your lunchtime favorites?

Published by Sarah

Librarian. Runner. Wife. Jesus follower. Loves reading, Indiana basketball, trying new recipes, coffee, cuddling with my kitties, cozy scarves, and cardigans.

8 thoughts on “Sweet Asian Pasta Salad”

  4. Yes, I pack my lunch every day. It does get to be a lot sometimes but worth it. I usually have a salad, sandwich, or leftovers. Nothing very exciting, that’s for sure!

    Like

    Reply
  6. Pingback: Guest Post: The Pajama Chef “Menu Planning. . . 20s Style” « The Runner's Plate

Thanks for visiting... I would love to hear from you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.