“This Thai spaghetti salad recipe is on REPEAT in my house!!!! So yummy. Love it! Thank you!” ~Natalie
I got the idea for this Thai spaghetti salad from my grocery store deli!
I get some of my best recipe ideas from the deli counter at my favorite market. They make surprisingly good salads and we like to pick 2 or 3 and call it dinner during the summer months when it’s too hot and sticky to cook. I chose three last week and I loved them so much I’m recreating each one for the blog. This Thai spaghetti salad is a twist on a potluck staple, spaghetti salad.
Thai spaghetti salad ingredients
This is a mash up between spaghetti salad, an American potluck classic, and a Thai noodle salad. It’s a true hybrid!
- spaghetti
- I like to use regular spaghetti, not thin nor thick. It’s just the right consistency for this salad.
- red cabbage
- make sure your cabbage is thinly sliced, and the shreds aren’t super long for best eating experience.
- shredded carrots
- green onions
- roasted peanuts
- sesame seeds
- cilantro leaves
- basil leaves
DRESSING
- rice vinegar
- vegetable oil
- smooth peanut butter
- garlic
- cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
the shortcut to a copy cat recipe
Prepared salads are usually easy to copy because they usually have their ingredients printed right on the label of the container. By law they have to list the ingredients in descending order of the amount used. I just used the label on my saved plastic container to build this wonderful spicy Thai spaghetti salad, starting with the pasta, red cabbage, and carrots, right through to the cayenne pepper and peanuts. It was fun, and it turned out perfect.
a useful pasta salad for potlucks and barbecues
This salad is hearty, colorful, and can be made ahead of time; the flavors actually benefit from hanging out in the fridge. It’s an economical way to feed a crowd, and there’s no mayo to spoil outdoors, either. As is it’s a hearty side dish, but you can easily augment it with extra protein in the form of shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled shrimp.
Thai flavors are so refreshing!
While this is not an authentic Thai recipe, the famously refreshing Thai flavor profile is represented. The Thai flavors make it unique but the salad is still familiar. It’s a great ‘starter’ Thai recipe for newbies or kids.
Fresh basil and cilantro are essential for this salad, so make sure you have some on hand. Better yet, buy small herb plants at your local nursery and keep them on the windowsill or back porch so you’ll always have fresh herbs available.
tips for making Thai spaghetti salad
- For best texture, shred your carrots in your food processor fitted with the shredding blade. A box grater can make wet and mushy shreds.
- I sliced my red cabbage on my mandoline slicer set on the 1/8 inch setting. This results in fine shreds that retain their texture. Slice the shreds in half if they are very long.
- Use regular spaghetti rather than the thin or thick style. Thin spaghetti can become mushy, and thick will be too starchy and overpower the veggies.
- Cook your spaghetti to an al dente stage so it retains some texture. It will soften further after you dress and chill it.
more summer potluck salads
They’re some are some of the best eating out there…the most successful ones are sturdy, have mass appeal, and can be made ahead
- Cowboy Caviar
- Thai Salad
- Mediterranean Bean Salad
- Dill Pickle Potato Salad
- Layered Rainbow Salad
- Israeli Salad
- Pasta Salad with Tuna
“This is such a hit in our family that I was requested to make it for my daughter’s graduation party. **For 100 people!** It still turned out fantastic and I’ve shared this recipe with a TON of people, as a result!!” ~TofuMom
Spicy Thai Spaghetti Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half, cooked in plenty of salted water to al dente and rinsed well with cold water
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 bunch (about 6-8) green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 handful basil leaves, thinly sliced
dressing
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 heaping Tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- To make the dressing put all the ingredients in a small bowl and use an immersion blender to process into an emulsified dressing. Thin with more oil or vinegar to taste, if necessary.
- Put the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Make it a main course ~ add chunks of chicken, tender steak, or grilled shrimp.
- Make it gluten/grain free ~ try this with zucchini noodles (spiralized zucchini) or spaghetti squash.
- Make it with more veggies ~ try frozen and thawed edamame beans, broccoli, or bok choy, snap peas, or green beans.
Nutrition
This was delicious! Love the kick of the cayenne (I went with almost a teaspoon). Also I love that you can sub in what you have on hand. Didn’t have any cabbage today, but did have fresh mung bean sprouts. Thank you!
This was quite delicious!!! I had plenty of sauce and I thought the cayenne added the perfect amount of bite. This recipe is a keeper!!!
The dressing was so thick I added more vinegar and oil but my salad was very dry and hard to mix.
It has been soooo hot lately as we are in an extreme weather spell….I needed a nice recipe for a cold meal!
Well …. Did I pick the winner!😋
Family of four “ critical “ eaters …. Loved it hands down!!!
I was told NOT to lose the recipe! ♥️
Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere! Stay cool 🙂
This was well received at a potluck. But personally I would reduce the cayenne pepper or start out slower.
Fantastic recipe! I’ve made it a few times and used GF pasta (celiac husband) with perfect results. Also, it’s cheating, but I used a bag of pre-shredded cabbage/carrots (intended for coleslaw) and it worked fine. Yum!
Could use gluten free pasta instead of making it vegan for gluten free
Yes, for sure.
If I make this a day ahead, will the greens get soggy? I’m thinking of using fresh spinach instead of cilantro, and the fresh basil might also get soggy? Should I leave off the dressing until right before eating? Some commentors have said it tastes even better the next day, so it sounds like they didn’t wait to pour in the sauce. Thank you so much, this looks delicious!
I would hold off on the dressing until the day you want to serve, I think it will have best texture that way.
What do you think about using tahini instead of the peanut butter? I have it on hand and need to use it.
That will totally work!
I think it sounds wonderful. My only thought is that there is one thing that can spoil in it from being outside and unchilled. The green onions will absorb bacteria.
If you put a peeled onion in a sick room it is supposed to pull the illness away. Then throw the onion away. The onion turns black from the bacteria around it. The recipe sounds wonderful to me though.
Seriously??
Old wives’ tale