The Scoop
Pasta salad just took a vacation!
This one trades the usual mayo situation for juicy mango, creamy avocado, crunchy vegetables, and a nutty sesame dressing that brings everything together. Basically, it's what happens when your pasta salad decides to get interesting.
The sweet-and-savory combination is the star here: mango brings the sunshine, avocado keeps things creamy, and soy sauce and sesame oil add just enough savory depth. Pine nuts and fresh vegetables give every forkful a little something different, making this an easy side for picnics, potlucks, BBQs, or the very important activity of eating straight from the serving bowl.
Chef's Tip: Let the pasta cool slightly before adding the dressing. Warm pasta absorbs the flavors beautifully without turning the avocado into mush.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
For the salad:
- 8 ounces elbow pasta
- 1 California avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and diced
- 1 mango, peeled and diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 1/4 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Whisk together the soy sauce, the sesame oil, the sugar, and the sesame seeds.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta well and allow it to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, the avocado, the mango, the carrot, the cabbage, the green onion, the pine nuts, the soy sauce dressing, the salt, and the pepper together.
- Serve immediately.
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