Sesame Pasta Salad with Cabbage & Quinoa
Sesame Pasta Salad with Cabbage & Quinoa
Yield: 8-10 servings (as a side)
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
For the salad:
1 pound casarecce pasta (or any other short noodle, like fusilli or farfalle)
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (more, as needed)
1 small head purple cabbage, thinly-shredded (about 1.5 pounds)
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
Torn mint leaves, for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp chili-garlic sauce (more to taste, depending on spice tolerance)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 teaspoon mirin
Juice of one lime, plus 1 tsp lime zest
Method
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and season heavily with kosher salt. Add pasta and cook two minutes shy of al dente — the pasta will soak up a lot of the dressing, so aim to cook your pasta on the firmer side. Drain in a colander and rinse under cool water to keep the noodles from sticking. Reserve until ready to assemble.
While the pasta cooks, place a small saucepan over medium-high heat with the canola oil. When the oil is hot, add the quinoa. Toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture smells nutty and you hear a few “pops” every couple of seconds. Add 1 cup cool water and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, stirring to combine. Bring the quinoa to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes (or until the quinoa is puffed and cooked through). Remove from heat and keep it covered while you assemble the rest of the salad.
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, shallot, rice vinegar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Gently massage and squeeze the ingredients together — this will soften the cabbage and take some of the “bite” out of the shallot.
To prepare the dressing, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste, and adjust for salt (or lime juice) as needed.
Add the cooked quinoa, pasta, and dressing to the large bowl with the cabbage mixture, tossing to thoroughly combine. Taste again, adjusting with salt or lime juice as needed. Serve the pasta salad chilled or at room temperature, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and freshly-torn mint leaves.