Pasta Salad with Peanut Sauce

This is hearty and healthy as well as a colorful salad made with pasta, colorful veggies, peanuts, sesame seeds, drizzled with ultimate sweet, spicy, tangy, umami peanut sauce. This is a nutritious, flavor packed, vegan recipe too! It is easy to hear the happy yum and oomph when you serve this salad, and this factor grows exponentially with each and every bite. 

This salad utilizes colorful veggies and when you set the bowl at the table, will sure to catch everyone's attention to this healthy and filling salad. This salad is great to pack for lunch, picnic, or for any party. Cooking pasta is the only step involved and during that time, veggies can be prepped. So in about 30 minutes, it is possible to have this salad made and ready to dig in. The vibrant colors, pasta, peanuts, and garbanzo along with veggies has everyone's favorite in one salad making the picky eater try this salad just like this Rainbow Salad with Tandoori Ranch Dressing!

The following are the requirements for this salad

Pasta - Bowtie pasta is used here but any pasta like penne or macaroni can be used. Eggless pasta is used in this recipe

Garbanzo beans - Canned or cooked beans can be used. This adds to the protein.

Peanuts - Roasted peanuts add to the crunch as well as proteins

Purple Cabbage

Colored bell peppers/sweet peppers

Carrots - shredded carrots are best in this recipe

Cucumber 

Sesame seeds

Herbs - cilantro and green onions

Chili flakes

Peanut sauce - the most flavorful sauce!

The ultimate peanut sauce makes this salad a comforting one! This sauce has all the flavors you'll ever want. The sweetness and creaminess of peanut butter, tangy lime juice, umami soy sauce, salt, spicy chili flakes and Thai chili along with ginger and garlic make this robust sauce that you'll want to smother everything and devour! This sauce is easy to make. Homemade or store-bought peanut butter can be used. This recipe uses creamy peanut butter. but any peanut butter of your choice can be used. Roasted peanuts are also added that adds to the crunchy texture in this salad. Crushed peanuts can also be used and like to add them to salads like in this Cucumber and Peanut Salad.

Assembling this salad is also easier. This is easy and hence a perfect one for any crowd, big or small, and will please anyone. I have arranged the pasta in the center with veggies and beans, nuts around. This can be done in rows too! Just play around to fulfill your vision. Sesame seeds - both types are used. It is optional, single or both varieties can be used. It just added to this rainbow colored salad. Speaking of rainbows, which I consider as special and magical, this Rainbow salad with Tandoori Ranch Dressing is equally magical and special!!

We are salad lovers and there are many healthy and delicious salad recipes for you to try from this blog. Here are a few to try.

Layered Garbanzo Beans and Paneer Salad

Orange and Greens Salad With Orange Vinaigrette

Dal Sprouts Salad

Kochumber

Caprese Salad

Cucumber Peanut Salad

Moong Sprouts Salad

In our Foodie Monday Blog Hop group, today we are sharing salads. Priya suggested this beautiful theme. Salads are healthy and there is no requirement to elaborate it here. This amazing salad has pasta and is more satisfying. Grains can also be added to salads like this Greek Style Millet Salad Lettuce Boats or Sorghum/Jowar Salad. These are amazing, filling, and nutritious!

I am also linking this to Sundays on Silverado, What's For Dinner, Happiness is Homemade.

Ingredients

For the Pasta

Pasta - 2 cups, uncooked

Water to cook pasta

Oli - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

For the salad

Purple cabbage - 1 cup, thinly sliced

Carrots - 1 cup, thick shreds

Bell pepper - 2/3 cup, sliced

Cucumbers - 1 cup, matchsticks

Red and yellow sweet peppers - sliced - 2/3 cup

Garbanzo beans - 1.5 cup, cooked/canned

Peanuts - 3/4 cup

Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp each both color

Cilantro - 2 tbsp, chopped

Green onions - 2 tbsp, chopped

For Peanut Sauce

Peanut butter - 3 to 4 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Chili flakes - 1/2 tsp

Cayenne - 1/8 tsp

Ginger - 1 tbsp, finely minced

Garlic - 1 tbsp, finely minced

Lime juice - 2.5 tbsp

Sesame oil - 1 tbsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Thai chili - 1 finely mined (optional)

Method

Cook the pasta according to package directions, Drain and set aside.

For the sauce:  Whisk everything until smooth. set aside.

In a platter, arrange the veggies, garbanzo beans, and peanuts  around the plate with pasta in the center. This can be done in any way preferred.

Drizzle the sauce as desired.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and herbs. Sprinkle extra chili flakes if desired. Serve immediately.