Easy Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce Recipe

The nutty flavor of whole wheat pasta noodles pairs perfectly with peanut sauce! Serve cold noodles with peanut sauce as a main dish or pack it up for a picnic or potluck vegetarian entrée!

Have you tasted that delicious peanut sauce that is served with chicken satay or summer rolls? If you love those dishes, then this noodle salad will be on your must make list too.

Why You’ll Love Pasta With Peanut Sauce

This Asian inspired pasta noodles with peanut sauce is just the right salad for that occasion and it’s packed with flavor!

• This noodles dish with peanut sauce is a great recipe to enjoy during the spring and summer months when you want simple meals that can be enjoyed outdoors.
• Serve at room temperature without the risk of the dish spoiling when serving at a potluck.
• Budget friendly dish that is made with kitchen stocked ingredients.
• Transports easy when enjoying at a family gathering like a reunion or party.
• Easy to change the vegetables with what you have on hand.

When I made this Spaghetti with Meat Sauce I stocked up on a couple of varieties of pasta like the classic thick spaghetti, protein plus, and the whole grain spaghetti.

The whole grain pasta is mild, not harsh or earthy tasting and really compliments the peanut sauce. 

I kept this dish vegetarian, but you can add some chicken to this dish for a variation.

Ingredients Needed

You will only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe. Gather the following items;

• pasta noodles – you can get creative here. I use whole wheat pasta spaghetti noodles. Feel free to mix it up with Asian-type noodles like ramen noodles, soba noodles, or udon noodles.
• bell peppers – use a mix or what you have on hand. I like to brighten up this dish with red, yellow, or orange peppers.
• Peanut Sauce – You’ll need a handful of stocked ingredients – peanut butter, broth (I use vegetable), soy sauce (low sodium), sesame oil, honey, ginger (the fresher, the better!), garlic, and red pepper flakes.
• Garnish – Scallions, cilantro, and peanuts

How to Make This Cold Noodles Pasta Recipe

This recipe comes together quickly and can be made in advance if you want to serve it later.

Prepare the Pasta

First, prepare the pasta. This will be the only step that takes some time, but you can whip up the sauce while the water boils.

I cooked the spaghetti for 7 minutes and then immediately drained the hot water and put the pasta into a bowl of ice water and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Whisk the Peanut Sauce

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper.

Assemble Noodle Salad

Once the pasta was cool to the touch then I tossed in the peanut sauce and vegetables together. Fold in the scallions, and cilantro before topping with peanuts.

Serve this cold noodles with peanut sauce as a salad or side dish for your next potluck or BBQ!

Recipe Additions or Substitutions

The best part of this cold pasta dish recipe is the ability to mix in a variety of ingredients if you choose. Here are some options:

• If you want to include a protein, add in diced cooked chicken or shrimp.
• Some other vegetables to add are zucchini (cooked or raw), squash, bok chow, snow peas or napa cabbage.
• Instead of soy sauce you can use coconut aminos.
• For the peanut butter I use reduced fat. Feel free to use any variety. I look for peanut butter made without sugar. Some times I’ll make this sauce with crunchy peanut butter for an extra peanut taste and texture.

What to Serve with Cold Noodles with Peanut Sauce

This dish is a complete vegetarian meal. However, for those that enjoy more protein, I often serve these noodles with Chicken Satay, Beef Skewers, or Pork Kabobs, or Grilled Shrimp Skewers.

Other Recipes To Try

If you love the flavor of peanut sauce, then be sure to try these recipes too.

• Healthy Chinese Chicken Salad – Hearty and flavorful green salad base with a delicious peanut sauce.
• Peanut Butter Drizzle – this sweet sauce is for desserts. Put over ice cream, brownies or cake.
• Keto Peanut Butter Pie – Low carb followers will devour this creamy pie.

This is a sponsored conversation (2015) written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions and text are all mine.