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Protein Packed Thai Pasta Salad

Thai pasta salad with protein pasta, shredded chicken, and crisp vegetables tossed in a creamy peanut-ginger dressing. This high-protein Asian noodle salad meal-prep favorite is finished with crushed peanuts, cilantro, and lime for bright flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Thai Fusion
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Protein pasta
  • 1 lb protein pasta (edamame or chickpea)
Shredded chicken
  • 2 cooked chicken breast, shredded
Vegetables
  • 2 red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 carrots, shredded
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Peanut-ginger dressing
  • 0.5 cup peanut butter
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 water to thin Add as needed to loosen to a pourable coating consistency.
Toppings
  • 0.25 cup peanuts, crushed
  • 0.25 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the protein pasta according to package directions in a Dutch oven until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch so it won’t keep cooking.
Make the peanut-ginger dressing
  1. Whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger, and garlic in a bowl until smooth. Add water gradually to reach a pourable consistency that lightly coats a spoon.
Assemble the pasta salad
  1. Combine pasta, chicken, red cabbage, carrots, and red bell pepper in a large bowl. Toss to distribute vegetables evenly through the pasta.
Coat and chill for meal prep
  1. Pour the peanut dressing over the salad and toss to coat all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the dressing clings and flavors meld.
Finish and serve
  1. Top the chilled salad with crushed peanuts and chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over each bite.

Notes

For best texture, rinse the pasta thoroughly with cold water and let it drain well before tossing so the dressing stays creamy instead of watery. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days; the flavors deepen after chilling. Freezing isn’t recommended because the vegetables and dressing texture may change. Dietary swap: use gluten-free soy sauce to make this easier to keep gluten-free.