This gluten-free sesame pasta salad is ready in 25 minutes and is perfect for a summer day. The salad is tossed with fresh sugar snap peas, sliced red bell pepper and a sweet and tangy Asian inspired sesame dressing. This salad is also mayo-free, dairy-free and vegan.
Be sure to check out more of my summer salad recipes including my chard cantaloupe salad with a fresh lemon basil dressing and my sweet and savory fresh peach mint salad and my summer fresh green bean salad with fresh corn.
The Best Gluten-Free Pasta for Pasta Salad
The best brands of gluten-free pasta for pasta salad are Barilla and Jovial. Both hold up very nicely without getting mushy or sticky. Barilla gluten-free pasta can be found in many grocery stores and Jovial is usually available at natural food stores including Whole Foods Market or can be ordered online from Vitacost.com.
When making a pasta salad it’s important to use the right pasta shape. You need a shape that is easy to eat as a side dish and looks good on the plate. It’s also works best if the pasta shape holds onto whatever sauce or dressing being used.
Rotini or fusili (corkscrew) pasta are the most commonly used pastas for pasta salad. They has lots of surface area to hold onto the flavorful dressing. I also enjoy farfalle (bow tie) pasta. It looks nice on the plate and has plenty of surface to hold the dressing.
Cooking the Pasta
When making a hot pasta dish, the pasta is usually cooked to al dente (slightly firm). But for a cold pasta salad, it’s best to cook the pasta until it’s soft but not mushy. If it’s al dente, the pasta will be too firm when cooled or refrigerated. To get it to the right consistency, I cook the pasta for the recommended amount of time (on the box) and taste a piece. If it’s still al dente, cook 30 seconds-1 1/2 minutes more.
Do you Rinse the Pasta?
Yes. The only time I recommend rinsing pasta is when putting it in a cold salad. Too much starch left on the pasta will make the salad sticky. Rinse it in some cold water and drain. This also cools the pasta enough to assemble the salad.
Summer Salad – No Mayo
Many cold summer salads are tossed with a mayonnaise based dressing. The problem with mayo is that it needs to be handled with care on warm days. And I personally, am not a fan of mayo. So this salad has a toasted sesame oil based dressing that can hold up on a hot day during a backyard barbecue.
Ingredients
Sesame dressing
Toasted sesame oil – It’s super important to use toasted sesame oil. The flavor and aroma are amzing and the non-toasted version is virtually flavorless.
To add some tangy flavor, the dressing includes both rice vinegar and lime juice.
Fresh ginger gives a wonderful zingy flavor to the dressing. The ginger incorporates best if you grate it on a microplane or the finest side of a box grater.
A sweet element balances the tangy salty flavors and enhances the slightly sweet sesame oil. I like agave because it incorporates easily but brown sugar or maple syrup can be used too.
A couple of pinches of red chili flakes also enhances all the flavors in the dressing without making it spicy.
Finally some onion powder and salt bring all the flavors together.
Veggies
Sugar snap peas are great in this salad with the sweet and tangy dressing. The sugar snaps look great if you blanch them for just a minute and a half. They turn a beautiful bright green but retain the snap.
My weird shortcut for blanching, is to put them in a wire basket or strainer and dip it in the boiling pasta water while the pasta is cooking. Then just rinse them in some cold water and lay them on a towel to cool.
Matchstick sliced red bell pepper add some crunch, beautiful color and sweetness.
Chopped green onions add a little zingy pungent flavor which makes this pasta salad sweet, tangy, pungent and a little salty. This is the perfect combination to make your taste buds sing.
25 Minute Cold Sesame Pasta Salad (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 3 c, about 7-8 oz. gluten-free bowtie, rotini or fusilli (corkscrew) pasta
- 1 medium sized red bell pepper
- 3 oz sugar snap peas (about 20 pods), strings removed
- 2 stalks green onion
Sesame Dressing
- ΒΌ c toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice (1-2 limes)
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp agave, maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1Β½ tsp packed, grated fresh ginger*
- Β½ tsp salt
- ΒΌ tsp onion powder
- 2 pinches red chili flakes
- 1 Tbsp toasted (or roasted) sesame seeds
Instructions
- Important Notes: While waiting for the water to boil and while cooking the pasta you will prepare the veggies and dressing. So as soon as you put the pot of water on the stove, start on the veggies and dressing.I have provided the option to blanch the sugar snap peas to brighten their color. It will be done in the pot with the pasta. They can be used in the salad raw if you prefer.
Cook the Pasta
- Fill a 4 quart pot with about 3 quarts of water. Place it on the stove top to boil over high heat. When the water comes to a full boil, add one tablespoon kosher salt and the pasta.
- Set a timer for 2 minutes less then the cook time recommended on the pasta box.
- When the timer sounds place the sugar snap peas (strings removed) into a wire basket and use tongs to dip it into the boiling pasta water. Let it sit for 1 minute or until the peas have turned bright green.
- Remove the peas from the pot and rinse them with cold water for 30 seconds. Then lay them on a towel to dry and cool.
- Taste test a piece of the pasta. If it is still al dente, cook one to two minutes more. It should be softer than al dente or your pasta will be almost crunchy when chilled.
- Drain the pasta into a strainer and rinse with cold water for 30 seconds. Shake the strainer to release the water.
Prepare the Veggies (while pasta cooks)
- Remove the strings from the sugar snap peas.
- Trim the top and bottom of the bell pepper. Stand it up and use your knife to slice through the ribs. This will allow you to remove the seeds all in one.
- Slice through top to bottom, then lay it out flat and trim any remaining ribs.
- Cut into 1" long matchsticks.
- Chop the green onion into small rounds.
Make the Sesame Dressing
- To a large mixing bowl, add the oil, lime juice, rice vinegar, agave, salt, onion powder and red chili flakes.
- Beat thoroughly with a whisk until the dressing is cloudy and thickened.
Assemble the salad
- Cut the sugar snap peas into 1 inch pieces.
- Add the drained pasta to the mixing bowl with the sesame dressing. Stir thoroughly to coat the pasta.
- Stir in one tablespoon of sesame seeds.
- I like to arrange the veggies on top of the pasta for a nice presentation, then stir them in just before serving. Otherwise just add the veggies and stir to coat.
- This pasta salad will stay fresh in the fridge for about 5 days. It is best served at room temperature. So remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving
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