Soba Noodle & Raw Veggie Salad

bowl of soba noodles with vegetables
On July 4th, one of my relatives brought a tasty Asian-inspired salad with noodles. A couple days later it occurred to me that the noodles were probably soba noodles, which I’ve seen in Asian dishes around the web. Soba noodles, I learned, are made of buckwheat flour and wheat flour. They contain all eight essential amino acids, along with antioxidants and other nutrients (source). As a long-time fan of using whole wheat pasta in Italian dishes, I was sold on the idea of Asian whole wheat noodles. I found some for about two dollars at a local gourmet store.

I was torn between this recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen and the peanut soba noodle bowls on Eat, Live, Run. Aggie’s won because it called for shelled edamame instead of tofu, which meant less cooking for me. In this 100+ degree heat, the most I can do is boil water for pasta or quinoa.

I upped the amount of vegetables in Aggie’s recipe and added extra cilantro, because I love the stuff. Intrigued by Eat, Live, Run‘s idea of adding peanut butter to the noodles, I tried it with leftovers—and woah. It’s incredible. No matter how you eat this salad—cold, reheated, or warm with a dollop of peanut butter—you’re going to love it.

soba noodles, carrots, green onions, and Asian spices
diced red bell pepper, cabbage, carrots and green onions
healthy soba noodles
easy vegetarian soba noodles recipe

5.0 from 4 reviews

Soba Noodle & Raw Veggie Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 6
 

Ingredients
  • 8 ounces soba noodles*
  • 1/2 cup reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce, just be sure it’s reduced sodium or it will taste too salty)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped (I used half a bag)
  • 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
  • 1/4 head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 3 whole carrots, shredded with vegetable peeler
  • 2 cups shelled edamame, steamed
  • 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
Optional ingredients for extra flavor
  • one lime, juiced
  • 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
  • peanut butter!

Instructions
  1. Cook soba noodles according to directions, and rinse in a colander.
  2. Chop up all your vegetables, and toss into a bowl with the soba noodles.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, sesame oil, canola oil, rice wine vinegar and red pepper flakes.
  4. Pour the dressing into the pasta and veggies and toss well to combine. Enjoy!

Notes

 

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41 Comments

  1. Posted July 15, 2011 at 1:09 PM | Permalink

    That looks so good! I love the bright colors. And I love soba noodles and I’m always looking for new ways to try them, so this is perfect. I love using all the veggies in this. I’m going to try this for sure, peanut butter sounds like an awesome option!

    • Posted July 15, 2011 at 5:35 PM | Permalink

      Hooray, please let me know how it turns out! I have a hunch that you could toss peanut butter with the warm, cooked soba noodles if you want to incorporate it with the whole batch.

      • Jane
        Posted August 26, 2012 at 6:23 PM | Permalink

        So lovely . . . We just had it for lunch. I used everything, added basil and substituted peanut butter for almond butter and made more dressing than required… Delicious!!

  2. Posted July 15, 2011 at 7:14 PM | Permalink

    wow – this is a stunning salad, Kate! It looks fantastic with all those colours! :)

  3. Posted July 15, 2011 at 10:42 PM | Permalink

    I always love colourful dishes and this looks great!
    I have never tried soba noodles so when I pick some up I will have to try your recipe :)

  4. Posted July 16, 2011 at 12:27 AM | Permalink

    This looks AMAZING! I’ll have to try this out for my boyfriend, he’s a bit of a soba junkie.

    • Posted July 19, 2011 at 8:35 AM | Permalink

      I’m a bit of a soba junkie after trying this recipe. I went back to the gourmet store and stocked up on noodles. Can’t wait to try more variations!

  5. Jes
    Posted July 16, 2011 at 8:20 AM | Permalink

    I don’t know if it’s okay to make requests. But if you could come up with a recipe that requires the use of several HUGE cucumbers, that would be awesome. It’s the only thing my garden is producing out the wazoo. I’ve made cucumber water, quick pickles, and we’ve had cucumber on every salad since the start of June! Maybe you could start an “Ask Kate” portion of the blog? Hehe. But seriously.

    • Posted July 19, 2011 at 8:34 AM | Permalink

      I love that idea! I have some cucumber recipes up my sleeve for you, but I probably won’t be able to make them until next week. I’m going to Denver on Thursday, and hanging out with Kirsten Thursday through Saturday!

      (!!!!!)

  6. Posted July 16, 2011 at 11:54 AM | Permalink

    I just love that opening photograph – so gorgeous! And I love soba noodle dishes so I’ll be saving this one for sure =)

  7. Posted July 17, 2011 at 9:31 AM | Permalink

    This salad sounds lovely! Great combo of flavours. Yum!

  8. Vivian
    Posted July 17, 2011 at 10:55 PM | Permalink

    Just made the recipe tonight. It was easy, fresh and super healthy. Added chicken breast on top. Super tasty!

    • Posted July 19, 2011 at 8:33 AM | Permalink

      I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! It is super healthy, and even more filling with chicken, I bet.

  9. Posted July 18, 2011 at 9:51 AM | Permalink

    This meal looks delicious! The colors are incredible and the flavor sounds perfect. I’ve never experimented with cooking Asian cuisines but you’ve just inspired me to give it a try. Great job Kate :)

    <3 kris&kel
    http://www.krisandkel.com

    • Posted July 19, 2011 at 8:32 AM | Permalink

      Go for it! This recipe is really easy. All you have to do is cook the pasta, chop the vegetables, and throw it all together!

  10. Posted July 18, 2011 at 2:11 PM | Permalink

    This salad looks so great and refreshing! I think I can handle turning on the oven just long enough to cook those noodles.

  11. Posted July 18, 2011 at 10:19 PM | Permalink

    love the colours – one perfect rainbow meal :D
    ive been having soba a lot lately as well…i use tahini + soy sauce instead of PB though. will try the PB version next time!

    • Posted July 19, 2011 at 8:31 AM | Permalink

      I never would have thought to add tahini! I’m going to try that soon.

  12. Posted July 20, 2011 at 12:06 AM | Permalink

    Gorgeous, gorgeous salad! With the heat of summer settling in, I’ve been craving salads much more than usual–and this one looks and sounds perfect. I’m in love with these photos.

  13. Posted July 20, 2011 at 5:41 AM | Permalink

    YUM!! Can’t wait to try it; soba noodles are our favorite. The jalapeño and lime sound so dream, too.

  14. katied
    Posted August 7, 2011 at 11:16 AM | Permalink

    8 or 8 oz soba noodles? Thanks for the pb idea!

    • Posted August 7, 2011 at 1:53 PM | Permalink

      Sorry, 8 ounces! That’s a full package of noodles.

  15. Trini
    Posted December 16, 2011 at 1:56 AM | Permalink

    Made this tonight. Delicious!!!! I added steamed kale and it complemented the flavors really well. Psyched I have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Yum!

  16. Amanda
    Posted February 9, 2012 at 11:11 PM | Permalink

    Made this for dinner tonight but I stir fried the veggies (except the onions) and added a tablespoon of Tahini to the sauce. I wanted a hot meal. It was great! My husbands favorite so far, my little guy loved it too! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow for some leftovers lol.

  17. Posted April 10, 2012 at 11:26 AM | Permalink

    Kate, I will make this recipe the first one I try with Soba noodles! I don’t know if 1/2 c. tamari sauce means reduced TO or reduced FROM 1/2 cup. Can you help please? THANK YOU.

    • Posted April 10, 2012 at 12:18 PM | Permalink

      Hi BarbaraAnn, I’m sorry for the confusion. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of tamari sauce. I recommend using reduced sodium tamari sauce to cut down on the saltiness of the dish.

  18. Tonya
    Posted April 25, 2012 at 7:27 PM | Permalink

    I’ve been meaning to make this salad for weeks and finally did so tonight. I am on my third bowl of it! Absolutely delicious and beautiful to look at.

    I did add the juice from half a lime, 1 T. peanut butter and half a seeded jalapeno. It definitely has heat, but in a good way. I think that my kids would have preferred it without the jalapeno and maybe reduced the red pepper flakes. The only thing I did wrong was use regular tamari instead of reduced sodium and the dish did turn out a tad too salty.

    • Posted April 30, 2012 at 8:21 AM | Permalink

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the soba noodle bowls, Tonya! Regular soy sauce/tamari can be way too salty, but I’m glad it still turned out ok!

  19. Alex
    Posted May 21, 2012 at 6:51 PM | Permalink

    Hi Kate!

    Any idea how long leftovers of this salad keep in the fridge? I wanted to make ahead for lunch for the week but wanted to know if you knew how long I could save it for, and if I should keep the dressing on the side for now or if it’s okay to throw in ahead of time.

    Thanks!

    • Posted May 21, 2012 at 7:03 PM | Permalink

      Hey Alex, great question! I mixed up this salad all at once and enjoyed the leftovers for several days without problems. The only ingredient here that will wilt in the dressing is the cilantro, so you might want to keep that separate and add it to each bowl before you’re ready to eat. Otherwise, I think you will be all good! The tamari should act as a bit of a preservative so I would think that this salad will last for 4 to 5 days in the fridge (maybe longer, I trust your judgment here).

  20. Michelle
    Posted June 6, 2012 at 7:42 PM | Permalink

    This is a great recipe, although I couldn’t make the dressing work as is; the 1/2 cup of tamari was too much for me. Instead, I made the dressing with 1 T of tamari and that did the trick. This recipe is going into my rotation.

  21. Carolyn
    Posted July 7, 2012 at 12:11 PM | Permalink

    I’m a little late to the party, but this is a keeper! I added jalapeño and used fresh veggies and it was perfect. Now on to more of Kate’s tasty recipes :) go Kate!

  22. Posted August 5, 2012 at 10:52 AM | Permalink

    I made this today – very good – thanks for the inspiration. I made it with what I had in the house, so used fresh parsley rather than cilantro and I had no edamame so there were no beans and I had no spring onions but a ton of chives so threw in a bunch of those. I also used tahini rather than peanut butter.

    I think you could make it 2 flavor styles – one more Thai inspired with peanut butter and crushed peanuts instead of sesame seeds, using also lime and cilantro. And one more Japanese with the sesame seeds,and use tahini to keep the sesame flavor theme going. I think it would also be good for the Japanese-y style with some fresh chopped ginger or little Japanese pickled vegetables … next time !

    • Posted August 6, 2012 at 8:17 PM | Permalink

      Fantastic suggestions, GN! Glad you enjoyed it.

  23. Tess Danesi
    Posted August 6, 2012 at 9:47 AM | Permalink

    This was a HUGE hit at my birhday bbq yesterday. We had Thai inspired smoked ribs with a pineapple/vinegar/fish sauce dipping sauce and marinated skirt steaks and this salad was a perfect counterpoint. Thanks for a wonderful, delicious and healthy recipe!

    • Posted August 6, 2012 at 8:16 PM | Permalink

      Happy to hear that you enjoyed the salad, Tess! Sounds like it complemented the rest of your meal nicely.

      • Olivia
        Posted August 14, 2012 at 8:05 PM | Permalink

        What a wonderful recipe!! Easy, delish, healthy and beautiful ! Can’t wait to have my friends over to serve this dish. So glad I came across your site! Thank you !

  24. Nicole
    Posted August 27, 2012 at 10:09 PM | Permalink

    This salad is fantastic. I am moving towards a semi-raw diet. So this dish fits perfectly. I used Bragg’s amino acids instead of the tamarind and added garlic, mushrooms, and ginger. Thanks for his dish. It will be a regular in my house

  25. Posted December 5, 2012 at 1:07 PM | Permalink

    I made this last night and it was delicious! Super healthy and flavorful. This would be a great recipe to make on a Sunday and have for packed lunches (except that when I made it my boyfriend liked it so much he ate it all!)

    • Posted December 7, 2012 at 10:53 AM | Permalink

      Thanks, Aubree! I’m so glad you two enjoyed it. I can’t blame your boyfriend, I lose all control in front of a bowl of soba noodles myself.

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