Impress your coworkers with this colorful salad that’s the perfect grab and go packed lunch. The recipe can be easily adapted to include your favorite veggies or to use up those leftover veggies in the crisper drawer. Simply swap out, sub in and stuff as much as you can into your mason jar salads!
If you are gluten-free double check that the soba noodles you bought are 100% buckwheat, as soba noodles are often made with a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flours.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut into small bite sized pieces
- 1 9.5 oz package buckwheat soba noodles*
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 4 pint-sized Mason Jars
- Dressing:
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (peanut, canola or grapeseed)
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 Tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 Tbsp sweetener of choice (such as maple or agave)
- 1 Tbsp sriracha chili sauce, optional for an extra kick
- 2 Tbsp natural peanut, almond or cashew butter (optional for a creamier dressing)
- Toppings:
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted (black sesame seeds add great contrast!)
- 1/3 cup shiitake or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, grated or julienned
- 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
Preparation
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Fill a medium saucepan with water and a generous pinch of salt. Bring water to a boil over high heat and add broccoli. Boil for 1 minute and then remove with a slotted spoon and rinse with cold water to stop cooking, keep the pot over high heat.
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Once the water has returned to a rolling boil, cook the soba noodles as per package directions (usually 6-8 minutes). Once the noodles are done, drain immediately and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drizzle noodles with a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together.
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Mix all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust as desired.
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Slice, shred and grate vegetables. Feel free to substitute veggies to make your perfect mix!
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To prep the jars:
Set out 4 pint-sized mason jars. Divide the dressing evening into the bottom of the 4 jars. Add green onion and mushrooms (so that they can soak up the yummy dressing overnight!). Divide the rest of the salad ingredients evenly between the jars. Suggested order: cabbage, carrots, broccoli, pepper, edamame, sesame seeds and finish with noodles.
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Cover jars with lids, place in fridge and get excited for the delicious lunches to come!
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Final, crucial step: pack jar and begin counting down the minutes until lunch hour. Make sure people are watching as you dump the salad into a bowl, stir and enjoy!
