Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing is a simple recipe to get you out of a tight spot at lunchtime. Choose from a wider variety of vegetables adding as much colour as possible. Toss with your favourite noodles and a generous coating of spicy peanut dressing.

Noodle Salad, Colourful Working Lunch

It is ideal as an easy working lunch, ready in under 20 minutes and easy to put together. Soften your vegetables by massaging in a teaspoon of rice vinegar and sesame oil, making it easier to mix in with the noodles. Or you can stir-fry in light oil/coconut oil with a little grated garlic to bring out the flavours.

Trial and error have proved vermicelli noodles don’t work here – they are too delicate and better for soups. Use wholemeal, brown rice or egg noodles that will toss easily in the sauce and not clump together. If you have a jar of spicy peanut dressing in the fridge, lunch can be on the table in 5 minutes.

Adding the Spicy Peanut Dressing to the Noodles

Drain the noodles and leave a scant tablespoon of the cooking water in the pot; whisk in the peanut sauce dressing and spring onions. Thoroughly toss the vegetables and noodles in the sauce and serve immediately. Top with something crunchy such as roasted peanuts or sesame seeds, and then sprinkle with fresh herbs such as mint, parsley or coriander.

Noodle Salad Vegetable Combinations

Finely sliced raw red and green cabbage, grated carrot, red pepper and finely sliced celery and radish. Stir-fried red or green kale, juliennes of carrot, celeriac, broccoli, and red pepper. Finely sliced fennel, red cabbage, kohlrabi and radish (raw). Stir-fried juliennes of carrot, finely sliced mushrooms, chard, and red pepper.

More salad inspiration here.