Ramen Noodle Salad

Ramen noodle salad has been around for years. I love this dish because you can make endless varieties of it based on your favorite ingredients.

Make it for your next potluck, or serve it as a side dish for your next meal.

My complete recipe is at the bottom of this post.  Give it a try.  I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Ramen Noodle Salad

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I start with the basic ramen noodles and almonds.  Toast them in the oven for a few minutes to bring out the flavorful almond oils and to get the noodles nicely browned.

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I don’t like to use pre-packaged coleslaw mix in this salad, mainly because most of the time I buy the mixes, it already smells bad, indicating spoilage.  I buy a whole head of cabbage and slice it myself, saving the potential for food waste and sending good money down the drain.

On the other hand, I buy pre-sliced carrots.  I’ve never bought a bag of bad/spoiled pre-sliced carrots.  The pre-packaged kind saves oodles of time in the kitchen.

Place all of the salad vegetables in a large mixing bowl; mix in the toasted noodles and almonds.

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You can buy a ready-made Asian vinaigrette for this salad, but a homemade dressing takes no time at all, and you can control the quality of ingredients.  See my full recipe below for my version of this sweet and tangy dressing that makes use of the ramen noodle seasoning packets.  If you want to cut back on the sodium, use half, just one, or none of the seasoning packets.  The dressing will still pack a whole heck of a lot of flavor without them.

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Pour the dressing into the bowl; use a pair of tongs to toss it all together.  Serve and enjoy!

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Ramen Noodle Salad
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A crunchy salad with ramen noodles and a sweet and savory dressing
Author:
Recipe type: Side
Ingredients
Salad:
  • 4 packages ramen noodles
  • 2 cups sliced almonds
  • 2 cups julienned carrots
  • 3 stalks green onions, sliced
Optional:
  • 2 cups mandarin orange slices
  • 4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 cup shelled and steamed edamame
  • 1 cup crumbled bacon
Dressing:
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup sesame oil
  • ⅔ cup good quality honey
  • ⅔ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 4 Ramen seasoning packets (from the ramen noodles used in the salad)
Instructions
Toast the noodles and almonds:
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Break the noodles apart while still in the original packaging. Place the broken noodles on a large rimmed baking pan. Set the ramen noodle seasoning packets aside (to be used for the dressing).
  3. Add the sliced almonds to the pan. Mix the almonds and noodles together.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven and let it cool. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Prepare the salad:
  1. Slice the cabbage thinly, as if to make coleslaw. Place into the large mixing bowl with the noodles and almonds.
  2. Add the carrots and greens onions to the bowl.
  3. Add any other optional salad ingredients.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk all of the dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the noodle and cabbage mixture. Toss to combine all the ingredients.
Serve and ENJOY!

 

 

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