Green Goddess Soba Noodle Salad

A saucy, veggie-packed noodle salad is always a good idea, and this lovely green goddess soba noodle version is great to have up your sleeve. Tossed with a honey miso dressing and LOADS of greens, it’s SUPER quick and easy, with minimal chopping, and keeps beautifully.

Cold Asian soba noodle salad with lots of green vegetables in a large serving platter, with jug of dressing on the side.

I love a salad that doesn’t FEEL like a salad. They often get a bad rap for being boring, basic, unsatisfying, and just generally, a bit sad. But, salads REALLY don’t have to be that way. They can (and should) be PACKED with flavor, texture, and color and be enjoyable to eat. This one, packed with lots of crunchy green veggies, is one of my go-tos for warmer months and for entertaining.

It’s also incredibly quick and easy which is always a win, and I’m making things really easy by using the same pot and water to cook the greens and the noodles in, so there’s less washing up at the end.

The salad is tossed with a zesty honey miso dressing which brings everything together beautifully – one of my go-to dressings to jazz up a salad or to drizzle over grilled meat. It’s a wonderful option for summery salad spreads, barbecues, garden parties, potlucks or to meal prep for the week ahead (it keeps really well).

While it’s filling enough to enjoy by itself, you could bulk it out with extra protein if you like. Toss through some shredded cooked chicken (it would be a great way to use any leftover roast chicken), or try it with miso grilled chicken, peanut butter chicken, miso glazed salmon or honey harissa chicken.

Ingredients

Soba noodles. Aka. buckwheat noodles. These are really lovely, slightly nutty-tasting noodles that are gorgeous in salads like this. They’re often gluten-free, but not always, so check your packet to make sure there’s no wheat flour first if you’re making this for someone who is gluten-free or coeliac.
Greens. We’re using a BUNCH of them here, but you can play around, based on what you like and what you have on hand. I’m using green beans, asparagus, scallions (spring onions), arugula (rocket), frozen garden peas, and frozen edamame beans. If you don’t have (or don’t like) something, leave it out and use more of another green. I also like to throw in some cilantro (coriander) and mint leaves. If you have the soap gene or just don’t like cilantro, leave it out (or use flat-leaf parsley, basil or Thai basil instead).
Miso paste. Use white miso paste if you can (it’s less salty and a little milder).
Fish sauce. If you want to keep this vegetarian, use soy sauce instead. Fish sauce can be divisive, but I promise it won’t make the salad taste salty, it just brings a lovely, deep umami flavor to the dressing that you can’t achieve with salt alone.
Rice vinegar. Use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead if you don’t have any.
Honey. Or use maple syrup if you like. I also love using sweet chilli jam instead sometimes, for a slightly spicy kick.

How to make it

Add the frozen peas and edamame beans to a pot of boiling water, and blanch for a few minutes. At this point, add the green beans and asparagus for another minute. Transfer all the greens to a large, paper towel-lined plate or tray to dry out.

Peas, edamame beans, green beans and asparagus in a large pot of water.

Green beans, asparagus, edamame beans and peas draining in a large serving bowl.

Bring the pot of water back to a boil and cook your soba noodles according to your packet instructions. Plunge the cooked noodles into cold water and rub them between your hands, then rinse and repeat. This process helps to wash the starch off the noodles, so they don’t clump up and stick together (which soba noodles often fall victim to).

Soba noodles cooking in a large pot of water.

A hand rinsing cooked soba noodles in a bowl of cold water.

Mix your dressing in a small bowl (I like to use a fork to break up the miso paste). Arrange the arugula on the base of a serving platter, then mix the noodles with the blanched greens, half the herbs, and half the dressing. Pile on top of the arugula, then pour over the rest of the dressing. Finish with the curly scallions and sesame seeds.

Close up of a gold fork mixing together miso paste, olive oil and honey.

Close up view of soba noodle salad with lots of green vegetables in it.

Got a question?

Can I make the salad in advance?

Yes! This is a brilliant one to make ahead of time. It will keep well, for up to 5 days in the fridge. You can also prep the salad in mason jars to enjoy for lunches throughout the week – if you’re doing that, pour in the dressing first, then the greens, and then the noodles on top.

What else could I add to the salad?

You can definitely play around with the ingredients, based on what you have and what you like. Throw in chopped broccoli, bok choi, or cucumber and you could up the protein content with shredded cooked chicken or salmon.

Like this recipe? Here are more quick and easy ideas to try

Sesame soba noodles with cucumber and broccolini in a white and blue bowl with chopsticks, with a small bowl of spring onions on the side. — Saucy Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

Hands holding chopsticks, picking up piece of salmon from poke bowl. — Saucy Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @Zageer on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.

Green Goddess Soba Noodle Salad

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Author: Kate Phillips
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Diet: Low Calorie

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the salad –

1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen edamame beans
Salt
1 bunch asparagus (roughly 8 stalks)
7oz/200g green beans
10.5oz/300g soba noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 scallions (spring onions)
A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves
A handful of mint leaves
A big handful of arugula (rocket)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

For the dressing –

Zest and juice of 1 lime (or use a lemon)
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Prep your greens. Slice the woody ends off your asparagus, then slice them diagonally into three pieces. Trim the ends off your green beans, then chop the scallions finely.
Blanch your greens. Line a large tray or plate with paper towels. Bring a large pot of salted (at least 1 tablespoon) water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and edamame, and cook for about 3 minutes, until they’ve defrosted. At this point, add the asparagus and green beans and leave for just one more minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the blanched greens to the prepared, lined tray or plate. Pat dry with more paper towels.
Cook your soba noodles. Bring the pot of water back to a boil, then add your soba noodles and cook them according to your packet instructions (likely 5 or so minutes). Once cooked, drain the noodles in a colander, then fill the pot back up with cold water. Plunge the noodles into the cold water, then use your hands to scrunch the noodles and rub them against each other. Drain again, and repeat the scrunching in the cold water. Drain in a colander, then toss through 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and set aside. This process washes excess starch off the noodles and helps to stop them from sticking together.
Mix your dressing. Add the zest and juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of miso paste, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a small bowl. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together, pressing down to break up the miso into the dressing.
Mix the salad. Arrange the arugula on the base of a serving platter or bowl. Mix the soba noodles with the greens, scallions, half the herbs, and half the dressing, then arrange on top of the arugula.
Garnish and serve. Pour the remaining dressing all over the salad, then scatter over the remaining herbs and the sesame seeds.

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: Soba noodles aren’t always gluten-free (some brands will use wheat flour along with buckwheat) so make sure you check before using them if you need them to be gluten-free.

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can very much play around with the greens, based on what you have to hand. Use chopped broccoli or bok choi, or swap the arugula for spinach leaves. Use flat-leaf parsley or Thai basil instead of cilantro if you don’t like it.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The salad will keep well for 4 – 5 days, stored in the fridge so it’s a fab one to enjoy throughout the week.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: While the salad is great as is, you can bulk it out with extra protein by serving it with grilled chicken (try miso grilled chicken, honey harissa chicken or charred peanut butter chicken) or toss through shredded cooked chicken (it’s a great way to use up any leftovers you might have from a roast chicken).

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 10
Category: salads
Method: stove top
Cuisine: asian