Thai Noodle Salad with Cashew Carrot Ginger Sauce

This Thai Noodle Salad with Cashew Carrot Ginger Sauce is an amazing cold or warm pasta salad that’s perfect for dinner, barbecues and picnics! It’s vegan, gluten-free and loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables! 

Thanks to my friends at Pacific Foods for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

Well friends, I think we finally had the last of the snow until fall and I couldn’t be happier! This past winter and spring have been a little rough with all the snow days we’ve had. Now I’m looking forward to many evenings spent on the deck enjoying the warm weather, grilling and eating dinner outside. 

When the weather warms up the kinds of food I crave tend to change. I enjoy lighter meals and ones that use all of the wonderful produce that’s available in the spring and summer months. When I’m not diving into salads like this Berry, Chickpea, Feta Salad or this White Bean, Artichoke and Tomato Salad, I enjoy a veggie filled pasta salad. 

When my friends at Pacific Foods asked me to create a recipe with their creamy, plant-based, Organic Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup  I immediately knew I wanted to make a Thai noodle inspired recipe. I thought it would be a nice vegan option for barbecues, picnics and meatless dinners. Finding something vegan to eat at a barbecue or picnic can often be a challenge, but not anymore!

If you’re not familiar with Pacific Foods’ line of vegan Organic Creamy Soups, they’re made just like you’d expect if you were making it yourself. They use organic vegetables, herbs and plant-based beverages instead of cream. These nourishing soups are great on their own for busy nights when you don’t have time to cook or they can be incorporated as an ingredient into a wholesome, plant-based meal like I did with this Thai Noodle Salad with Cashew Carrot Ginger Sauce 

You might be wondering how in the world a soup can be used as a sauce for noodles. It took a little research and testing to figure it out, but it turns out it’s actually easy. If you want to use soup as a sauce the main thing you need to do is reduce it slowly on the stove so it thickens. It took me approximately 15 minutes on medium-low heat to get the Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup to reduce to the consistency I was looking for. 

To give the sauce an extra punch of Thai flavor and to help thicken it, I added in cashew butter, fresh grated ginger, garlic, chili garlic sauce and lime juice. Once the sauce reduced I strained it to remove the fresh ginger fibers and keep the sauce creamy. It’s an optional step you can skip if that doesn’t bother you.

The sauce is tossed together with brown rice noodles and a wonderful selection of rainbow colored vegetables. Red bell pepper, carrots, cucumbers, red cabbage, green onions, edamame and cilantro. Top it with crunchy cashews and serve warm or cold for a delicious main dish or side dish that both vegans and non-vegans will love!

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Thai Noodle Salad with Cashew Carrot Ginger Sauce

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

Cashew Carrot Ginger Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups Pacific Foods Organic Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup
• 2 tablespoons cashew butter
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salad Ingredients

• 8 ounces brown rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced English cucumber
• 1/2 of a red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 2 green onions, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup shelled edamame
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. In a medium sized sauce pan stir together the ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a low boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to about 1 cup. Stir occasionally. Once reduced, strain the sauce and cool to room temperature.
2. Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions, drain them and rinse under cold water. Add the noodles to a large serving bowl and toss them with the sesame oil. 
3. Add all of the vegetables in with the noodles and pour in the sauce. Toss everything together. Top the salad with chopped cashews just before serving.

Notes

• If you plan to make the salad ahead of time and serve it cold only toss with half of the sauce. Just before serving toss with the remaining sauce. The noodles will soak up a lot of the sauce the longer it sits.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 270Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 216mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 9g