Combine soba noodles, with a lemony sesame dressing, some blanched green beans, tomatoes, fresh basil and sliced Kalamata olives – You have this easy to make and delicious Cold Soba Noodle Salad.
This Asian-inspired noodle salad features fresh, seasonal green beans, basil and tomatoes along with briny Kalamata olives for a delicious taste treat. Soba noodles in this salad are served cold but soba noodles are very versatile and are great in hot dishes also, especially hot brothy soups.
[cmtoc_table_of_contents]Some soba noodles are made from buckwheat and are gluten-free and some are a combination of buckwheat and wheat, so if you’re gluten-free, make sure to check the label on the noodle package.
Soba noodles are lower in calories and higher in protein and fiber than traditional pasta – that’s a good thing, right? They’re a welcome change and add a little variety to our noodle repertoire!
Cold Soba Noodle Salad Ingredients
What you need to make this salad
- Soba noodles
- Olive oil
- Lemons
- Toasted sesame oil
- Green beans
- Kalamata olives
- Cherry tomatoes
- Yellow or orange tomato
- Fresh basil
- Green onions (scallions)
- Sesame seeds
Cool and swish soba noodles in cold water.
How to make Cold Soba Noodle Salad
- Cook soba noodles in boiling water (do not add salt to the water) and drain when done. They take about 7 to 8 minutes to cook. Add the cooked noodles to a bowl of cold water and gently swish around with your hands to cool and prevent them from sticking together. Then drain in a colander and set aside.
- Make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper and toasted sesame oil in a bowl and whisk together and set aside.
- Add your cut green beans to boiling water, bring back to a boil and blanch for about 2 minutes and drain. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon or a “spider”and add them to a bowl of ice water to cool and stop cooking. When they’re cool, drain them in a colander.
- Add the cooked and cooled soba noodles to a large bowl. Toss in the green beans and the Kalamata olives, both colors of tomatoes and the fresh basil leaves.
- Pour the dressing over the noodle salad and gently combine with salad tongs or a couple forks. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your liking.
- Top with chopped green onions (scallions) and sesame seeds.
- It can be eaten right away or chilled in the refrigerator.
How to Blanch
Blanching is the process of adding vegetables to boiling water to partially cook for them for about 2 – 5 minutes. Keep tasting every 30 seconds or so until the vegetables are cooked to your liking – you don’t want to overcook them though, especially for a salad. After that, remove them promptly from the boiling water with a slotted spoon or “spider” and drop them into very cold water or ice water to stop cooking and to cool down. Blanching enhances the color of green vegetables.
*So with a vegetable like green beans, a short blanching not only partially cooks them, but also brings a more vibrant color out of them!*
Blanched Green Beans
Salads like this Cold Soba Noodle Salad are popular at summer get togethers. They make colorful addition to any table and get quickly gobbled up because they’re fresh and delicious and NOODLES!
This makes about 6 side dish portions, so if you’re bringing some to a potluck, picnic or bbq, make sure to double or triple the recipe!
If you try this recipe or would like to – a comment and a rating below would be greatly appreciated.
Also, please feel free to share any modifications to the recipe that you make – it’s always fun to learn about new variations to a recipe. I’d love to hear from you!
Other make ahead salads on the blog
Colorful Quinoa Salad with Feta
Cold Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 1 9.5 oz. package soba noodles (3 bundles)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 small lemons, juiced
- 3 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut in thirds and blanched
- 6 Tbsp Kalamata olives, sliced
- 15 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 6 Tbsp yellow or orange tomato, chopped, (or yellow cherry tomatoes cut in quarters)
- 24 basil leaves, torn in a few pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- green onions (scallions), the green tops, chopped for topping
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the soba noodles in unsalted boiling water until done but not mushy. Soba noodles cook in about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain them and add them to a large bowl of cold water. Swish the noodles gently to cool and not stick together. Drain in a colander and set aside
- Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toasted sesame oil in a bowl for the dressing and whisk together. Set aside
- Add your cut green beans to boiling water and bring back to a boil. Blanch them for about 2 minutes then drain and add to a bowl of very cold water or ice water to cool and stop cooking. When they are cooled, drain them in a colander.
- Add the cooked soba noodles to a large bowl. Toss in the green beans and the Kalamata olives, both colors of tomatoes and the fresh basil leaves.
- Pour the dressing over the noodle salad and gently combine with salad tongs or a couple forks. Taste for salt and add some if needed.
- Top with chopped green onions (scallions) and sesame seeds.
- Can be eaten right away or covered and chilled in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Take the chilled Soba Noodle Salad out of the refrigerator for about 5 - 10 minutes before serving for best flavors.
- Will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 days.
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
xo
yummy