Veggie Soba Noodle Salad

Lots of winter recipes are hearty, homey, and feel like a hug (see my recent Tamarind Beef Chili recipe). But sometimes I feel the need to have a lighter option. After all, we’re slowly inching our way into warmer, spring weather!

I introduced my fun Dan Dan Noodle recipe a few years back, and I was recently inspired to revisit that recipe. So here’s a spin on that classic: a veggie-centric noodle recipe using Japanese soba! Having bright, raw ribbons of carrots, red cabbage, bell peppers, and scallions with a tangy soy-and-sesame sauce over chilled noodles is a beautiful marriage of simple flavors. There’s texture, freshness, substance all in one bowl. I topped the bowl with some furikake, Japanese seaweed and sesame.

You can make the sauce a few days in advance and prep the veggies the night before, so this dish comes together in a snap- the cook time reflects how quickly your soba noodles cook. Plus, this is easily adaptable to different dietary needs- vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, you name it. Roasted tofu, steamed edamame, braised tempeh, grilled chicken, cooked shrimp… anything is possible!