This veggie crunch salad is just perfect for these incredibly hot days we’ve been having when cooking is pretty much the last thing you feel like doing. It’s bright and fresh, healthy and absolutely packed with flavor! Serve it with some simple grilled chicken and you’re got a summer dinner that you’ll want to put on repeat.
In addition to the awesome flavor, there are three other reason that I love this dish – it travels well, you prep all of the parts ahead of time, and kids love it.
I hope you give it a try!
Veggie Crunch Noodle Salad with Grilled Chicken
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Salad
3 c. shredded green cabbage
3 c. shredded purple cabbage
1 c. green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
½ c. cilantro, chopped
½ c. mint, chopped
¼ c. Thai basil, chopped
8 oz. rice vermicelli noodles (optional)
1 jalapeno or serano pepper, finely chopped
3 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Dressing
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 lime, zest and juice
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp chili oil or chili flakes
Serve with grilled chicken
Preparation
- Place the noodles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water, making sure that they’re fully immersed. Let them sit for about 5 minutes, and then taste them for doneness. When they are softened, rinse them with cold water and leave them to drain completely while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients and whisk well until fully combined. Taste and adjust any flavors to your liking, and then set aside to let flavors meld.
- In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, green onions, carrots, peppers and herbs and toss to combine well.
- Using scissors, cut the noodles into shorter lengths and add them to the bowl of vegetables. I like to cut mine to roughly 3 inches in length, so that they are similar to the vegetables. Toss the noodles with the vegetables so they are evenly distributed throughout the salad.
- Add the dressing and toss everything to coat really well and then add the sesame seeds.
- Transfer the noodle salad to a platter and top with sliced grilled chicken, ENJOY!
Notes:
- Be sure not to overcook the noodles! If overcooked, they will break apart into tiny lengths that are mushy.
- Adding the noodles to the salad is completely optional – completely up to you.
- Before adding the noodles to the salad, make sure the drained noodles are dried out and no longer holding any of the water, which will only make the salad soggy and diluted.
- You can use carrots that are pre-shredded to save some time or you can cut them into matchsticks or grate them on the large holes of a box grater (they’re just not as crunchy this way).
- For the best flavor, use toasted sesame seeds.
- The herbs absolutely make for fantastic flavor in this dish – do not skip them!
- You can substitute many other proteins to serve with this salad – steak, pork, tofu, etc.
Hello, I’m Natalie! I’m a professionally-trained chef, culinary instructor and recipe developer living in Ann Arbor. A career change, a trip through culinary school 20 years ago, and being a lifelong Julia Child enthusiast has led me to a career doing my very favorite thing: making food and cooking approachable to home cooks of all ages!  Â
My passion for creating great food experiences and getting people excited about learning and having fun in the kitchen is always at the heart of what I do. You can find me at NatalieMarbleCooks.com. And on social media you can find me at @NatalieMarbleCooks. Sign up for my bi-weekly email newsletter here, where I share family-friendly recipes, tips & tricks, new class information, and hopefully a little inspiration!
