Cold Noodle Pork Bowls with Almond-Sesame Date Sauce
It’s getting hot out here at the farm and this cold noodle pasta salad is a welcome and refreshing dish to have on hand. This dish uses up a lot of produce from the farm and is bursting with a ton of flavor from the almond-sesame sauce. The sauce is fun because it’s sweetened with dates, spicy from ginger and pepper flakes, and perfectly salty from a combination of coconut aminos and fish sauce. This is a great dish that I think the whole family will love and I am so glad it’s a hit with our toddler too! Serve this chilled or at room temperature and enjoy all week long!
I hope you all love this tasty recipe as much as we do!
Cold Noodle Pork Bowls with Almond-Sesame Sauce
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Serves: 6-8
Almond-Sesame Sauce- 3 large Medjool dates, pitted and soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and then drained
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (can sub low sodium-soy sauce)
- 3 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (+ more to taste)
- 2 scallions, minced (white and pale green parts only)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- water to thin as necessary
- 8 ounces pasta (we used a sprouted whole wheat)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 of a purple cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 4 carrots, finely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 cup cooked edamame
Preparation
- Prepare the sauce by adding all the ingredients to a small blender or food processor and blending until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water to thin the sauce as needed. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Add the pork to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the pork, until it's no longer pink and cooked through. About 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork to a bowl and set it aside.
- In a very large bowl add the cooked pasta, pork and veggies. Drizzle with the sauce and toss until it's evenly coated. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
- Serve warm, at room temperature or slightly chilled (if serving this chilled take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before enjoying so that the flavors have a chance to come back to life a bit and the texture becomes creamy again).
Notes
*Cooking times will very from kitchen to kitchen. Taste test as you go.
Hi this is absolutely delicious . I would like to make one correction, this did not take 20 minutes it’s more like an hour and lots of pans. But well worth it! . Great for a luncheon tooooo!!
Hi there! I’m glad you liked this dish so much! Sorry it took you an hour to make this. It should not take that much time. As I state in all my recipe notes “cooking times will very from kitchen to kitchen.” Glad you enjoyed this!! Happy cooking.
Hi this is absolutely delicious . I would like to make one correction, this did not take 20 minutes it’s more like an hour and lots of pans. But well worth it! . Great for a luncheon tooooo!!
Made it tonight and it was so good! Will def make again.
So happy to hear!!