Sesame Pasta Salad

This Sesame Pasta Salad is fresh, crunchy, colorful, and packed with savory flavor. It is made with short pasta, crisp vegetables, shelled edamame, sesame seeds, and a simple sesame-soy dressing that is sweet, tangy, and lightly nutty.

It is the kind of pasta salad that works for meal prep, BBQs, potlucks, lunches, and easy weeknight dinners. The pasta is rinsed cold so it stays firm and chilled, then tossed with red bell pepper, green onions, red cabbage, edamame, carrots, and a dressing made with soy sauce, neutral oil, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, and mild chili crisp.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Perfect for meal prep: It chills well and tastes even better once the pasta absorbs the sesame-soy dressing.
• Crunchy and colorful: Red bell pepper, cabbage, carrots, green onions, and edamame make every bite fresh and textured.
• Simple homemade dressing: Soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, and ginger create a balanced savory-sweet flavor.
• Great warm-weather side: Serve it at BBQs, potlucks, cookouts, or alongside grilled proteins.

Ingredients

Sesame-Soy Dressing

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup neutral oil, such as canola, grapeseed, or avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, or 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1-2 tablespoons of mild chili crisp. Spicy if you like.

Salad Base

• 16 ounces short dry pasta, such as rotini, farfalle, bowtie, or cavatappi
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced or thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage or crunchy coleslaw mix
• 1 cup shelled edamame, thawed
• 1 cup carrots, julienned or shredded
• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, for garnish

How to Make Sesame Pasta Salad

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until just al dente.
2. Cool and drain. Drain the pasta completely in a colander, then immediately rinse under cold running water until cool to the touch. This stops the cooking and helps prevent the pasta from getting gummy.
3. Whisk the dressing. While the pasta drains, combine the soy sauce, neutral oil, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey or brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and chili crisp in a small bowl or mason jar. Whisk or shake vigorously until the honey fully dissolves.
4. Combine the salad. In an extra-large mixing bowl, toss the cooled pasta with the red bell pepper, green onions, shredded cabbage, edamame, and carrots.
5. Dress thoroughly. Pour the sesame-soy dressing over the pasta and vegetables. Use tongs to toss everything together until every piece of pasta is well coated.
6. Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight, so the pasta absorbs the savory dressing. Just before serving, toss again and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top.

Recipe Tips

• Cook the pasta just al dente. Pasta continues to absorb dressing as it chills, so a slightly firm texture works best.
• Rinse for this recipe. Since this is a cold pasta salad, rinsing cools the pasta quickly and removes extra starch.
• Shake the dressing well. A mason jar makes it easy to combine the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and honey evenly.
• Add sesame seeds last. Sprinkling them on right before serving keeps them fresh and nutty.

Make-Ahead and Storage

This pasta salad is perfect for making ahead. Chill it for at least 30 minutes before serving, or prepare it the night before so the pasta can soak up even more flavor.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Toss well before serving, and add a small splash of soy sauce, rice vinegar, or sesame oil if the pasta needs refreshing.

Serving Ideas

Serve Sesame Pasta Salad with grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, tofu, lettuce wraps, skewers, burgers, or a simple cucumber salad. It also makes an easy lunch or meal-prep bowl on its own.