SUBSCRIBE BY EMAILI’ve got a fun salad for you: Asian Noodle Salad in a Jar with Spicy Peanut Dressing. This salad is beyond colorful, and it’s loaded with fabulous veggies AND a delightful dressing. It works as the ideal picnic salad, or take-to-work salad, too. You’ll love it!
Canning jars are perfect for so many things, and over the last few years they’ve been the center of so many DIY projects, amiright? I don’t think they’re going anywhere anytime soon, so why not work with them?
Asian Noodle Salad in a Jar with Spicy Peanut Dressing is a deeee-licious salad, and a nice way to get your lunch to work or to take along on a picnic.
Coming off a long holiday weekend (mine lasted a day longer than long), I will be the first to admit that I ate a bunch of not-so-healthy food. It happens every time I combine a holiday with a road trip. It’s nothing but trouble!
In an attempt to get some veggies in my bod to feel a bit healthier — and because it’s summer and who feels like cooking — I decided to make a colorful salad and package it in a jar. If you’re looking for more salads for the season, look no farther than this Chicken Salad with Strawberries and Honey-Lemon Mint Dressing – it has summer written all over it!
A salad-in-a-jar is fun! Come on…I dare you to deny it. Not only is it fun, but it’s a practical way to pack and transport a salad.
I used ramen noodles in this salad. Yep, the college student favorite, 3-for-a-dollar ramen noodle packs. The serving size will leave you with a few extra noodles, but you can save them for another meal.
The packets each make 3 ounces of noodles, but I recommend using 2 ounces per serving for this dish. Otherwise, you end up with Noodle City and not enough dressing, and that’s no fun at all.
What’s the best way to layer a salad in a jar? Start with adding the dressing to the bottom of the jar, for sure. Then, add the “sturdier” ingredients (those that won’t get mushy from the dressing) and move up using those that are softer. If you’re using greens in your salad, for example, I’d add them to the very top.
For my Asian Noodle Salad in a Jar with Spicy Peanut Dressing, I layered the ingredients in this order: dressing, edamame, the noodles (they’d be okay if a touch of the dressing reached them), red bell pepper, cabbage, carrots, and more edamame at the top. By the way, if you’re an edamame fan, check out my recipe for Spiced Edamame Hummus. What a great snack!
This salad has a bunch of ingredients that are pretty sturdy, so the order doesn’t matter too much. When you’re ready to serve this salad, shake it a bit (make sure the lid is on tight) then empty it into a bowl. Toss the ingredients around to coat them with the dressing, and enjoy!
Give this Asian Noodle Salad in a Jar with Spicy Peanut Dressing a try. I’m certain you’ll reach for it again and again.
Patricia Conte/Grab a Plate
Serves Makes 2 salads
This is a delightful and colorful salad that's so easy to transport!
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2-3 garlic cloves, to taste
- 1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (or plain vegetable oil)
- Juice from one small lime (about 3 tablespoons)
- 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha or hot sauce, to taste
- 2 (16-ounce) glass jars with lids
- 2 (3-ounce) packages of ramen noodles (flavor packets discarded), or 4 ounces of your favorite noodles, cooked, drained, and chilled
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, cut into thin strips
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup edamame
- 1/3 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1/3 cup corn kernels
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside.
- When you’re ready to assemble the salad, divide the dressing between the two jars and spoon it into the bottom.
- Divide the remaining ingredients (don’t forget to use about 2 ounces less of the noodles – save them for another dish) and assemble in the order you like.
- I added some edamame, the noodles, red belle pepper, cabbage, carrots, and a little more edamame at the top.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
- With the lid on, shake the jar a bit, then empty into a bowl. Toss the ingredients to coat with the dressing.
Notes
Use a bit less of the ramen noodles if using packets of 3-ounce noodles. I used 2 ounces of the noodles per jar.
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