This Soba Noodle Salad with Edamame Pesto is full of flavour, so satisfying and super healthy! It makes an excellent quick dinner but is also great for packed lunches or picnics.
My recipe for Vegan Edamame Pesto was featured in the UK national newspaper The Guardian as it was one of the winning entries to their pesto recipe competition. You can read the article here.
The journalist Dale Berning Sawa said "the combination of lemon juice and soy sauce gives it a wonderfully satisfying ponzu kick", and, because of all the delicious Japanese flavours in here, I decided it would be great served with soba noodles as a salad!
Where can you buy edamame?
You can find edamame in the frozen aisles of most supermarkets - they are usually sold as "soy beans".
What are soba noodles?
Soba noodles are made of buckwheat and are a staple of the traditional Japanese diet, often used to make noodle soups such as Kitsune Soba, or eaten cold with a soy sauce-based dipping sauce.
They have a deliciously nutty flavour and chewy texture, and being full of protein and fibre, they're naturally very healthy too.
Are soba noodles gluten-free?
Although buckwheat is gluten-free, a lot of soba noodles do have wheat flour mixed in as a binding agent. You can buy 100% buckwheat soba noodles though, so if you need to eat gluten-free, make sure to check the ingredients carefully.
Where can you buy soba noodles?
You should be able to find soba noodles in the Asian food section of your local supermarket, but if not you can find them at local health stores, Asian supermarkets or online.
Why you'll love this Soba Noodle Salad:
- it's perfect for hot summer days where you want to do minimal cooking
- the edamame pesto is nutty and creamy
- it's packed with veggies
- it's healthy and nutritious
- it's filling and satisfying
- it's fragrant and flavourful
- it's great for packed lunches and picnics
- it's vegan and gluten-free
- it's oil-free
- it's nut-free
- it's a good source of protein and fibre
- it can easily be customised depending on what you have on hand
- it's a great way to clear out the fridge
- it's super easy to make
- it's ready in 20 minutes!
How to make the Edamame Pesto
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Cook the edamame according to instructions on the packet.
- Place in a food processor or blender (or hand-held stick blender) with all the other ingredients.
- Whizz until smooth.
Tip: Add little splashes of water to help it blend together until you achieve your desired consistency.
How to make the Soba Noodle Salad
- Cook the soba noodles according to instructions on packet.
- Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Mix edamame pesto with the soba noodles.
- Add desired vegetables and toppings.
How long does this Soba Noodle Salad keep for?
This Soba Noodle Salad keeps covered in the fridge for up to a day. As it's best eaten cold (as mentioned earlier, soba noodles are often served cold in Japan), it works well for packed lunches or picnics!
Substitutions you can make to this recipe:
- You can add whatever vegetables you want - I went for peppery radishes and sweet, crunchy red peppers, but you can also add purple cabbage, pickled ginger, spring onions, thinly sliced sugar-snap peas, carrots, cucumber, avocado, anything really!
- You could also add fruits - mango or pomegranate could work!
- If you want to add some extra protein, you could add almonds, pine nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or walnuts to the pesto.
What else can you use the Edamame Pesto for?
The pesto also works well as a dip for crackers or vegetable crudités.
More delicious vegan noodle recipes:
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Soba Noodle Salad with Edamame Pesto (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
For the pesto*:
- 150 g (1 cup) frozen edamame (soy beans)
- 30 g (1 oz) fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- Salt to taste
For the soba noodles:
- 200 g (7 oz) soba (buckwheat) noodles (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
To serve (suggestions):
- Red pepper , cut into matchsticks
- Radishes , thinly sliced
- Avocado , diced
- Fresh basil
Instructions
For the pesto:
- Cook the edamame according to instructions on the packet
- Add the edamame to a food processor or blender (or hand-held blender) with all the other ingredients for the pesto and whizz until smooth, adding little splashes of water until you achieve your desired consistency
- Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary
For the soba noodles:
- Cook the soba noodles according to instructions on packet
- Drain and rinse with cold water
- Mix edamame pesto with the soba noodles
To serve:
- Add desired vegetables and toppings
- Either enjoy immediately or keeps covered in the fridge for up to a day
Notes
- pine nuts
- almonds
- cashews
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- walnuts
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog - thank you.
Anonymous
Made this for a packed lunch and it was delicious!
Rhian Williams
Thank you!