Spicy Thai Peanut Noodle Salad...A Perfect Summer Potluck Dish

Hard to believe, but it’s just under a week until July 4th! Between now and then, I’ll be sharing recipes that are perfect for celebrating with family and friends! I’ve got a fun twist on potato salad to share for this week’s #SundaySupper...as well as a firecracker of a burger recipe and a fun vanilla treat...coming up in the next few days. Today, I’m kicking things off with a flavorful Spicy Thai Peanut Noodle Salad. It’s perfect for taking to summer potlucks, because it’s delicious both cold and at room temperature...and it contains no dairy products. 

As soon as I saw this recipe on the Cook's Country website last week, I immediately added it to this week's menu! Cook’s Country is part of the America’s Test Kitchen family, and their recipes never disappoint! What’s not to like? They do all the trial-and-error work for you. All you have to do is make the final kitchen-tested, no-fail recipe and enjoy the compliments! I used their peanut-based dressing recipe and prep technique, but I did make a few small tweaks. I added sriracha to the dressing instead of the suggested Tabasco, and I changed the veggies up just a bit. I used crunchy cucumber and carrot, as well as a double shot of onions This salad is knock-your-socks-off good!

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

adapted from Cook's Country

Step 1:  Cook 1 lb. of spaghetti in a pot of well-salted water. While the pasta cooks, make the dressing. Add the following ingredients to a large bowl: 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 3 tbs. vinegar, 1 tbs. grated fresh ginger, 1 tbs. sriracha (or Tabasco), 1 tsp. honey, 1/3 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water, and 1 tsp. dried cilantro. Whisk well to combine and set aside.

Step 2:  When the pasta is cooked, drain well in a colander under cold water. Keep rinsing until the pasta has cooled to room temperature. Place the cooled spaghetti in a large bowl and add 2 tbs. sesame oil...toss to evenly coat. Add the following veggies: 1/2 a cucumber seeded and cut into a small dice, 1/2 cup carrot cut into bite-sized pieces, 4 sliced green onions, and 1/2 cup sweet yellow onion cut into thin matchstick slivers. 

Step 3:  Add the reserved dressing and 2 tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley. Toss everything together with tongs. Make sure that the dressing evenly coats all the noodles and the veggies. Serve immediately at room temperate or chill. The original recipe notes that you should remove chilled pasta from the fridge about 20 minutes before serving for the proper consistency.

There you have it: noodles, spicy peanut sauce, and crisp veggies...I loved this international spin on pasta salad! The heat level was perfect for us with 1 tbs. of sriracha, but feel free to up that amount if you like your food especially fiery. I served this noodle salad with the leftover Honey Ginger Soy Chicken that I made for this week’s #SundaySupper. The flavors worked really nicely together, but you could easily add grilled shrimp or diced tofu to make this a light Summer main dish. One final note: the recipe suggests keeping all of the cooked ingredients separate and tossing everything together just before serving if you’re transporting it to a party.

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