Ina Garten Szechuan Noodles

Ina Garten Szechuan noodles turn spaghetti, peanut butter, tahini and fresh ginger into a creamy, nutty cold noodle salad in 30 minutes. It's an easy pasta salad for potlucks, picnics or summer cookouts, and the sauce can be made a week ahead for a quick weeknight dinner.

Toss the sauce with the spaghetti while the noodles are still warm, because warm pasta soaks up all that garlic, ginger and sesame flavor. Let them cool first and the sauce just sits on top instead of coating every strand.

Ina Garten says almost everything for this salad lives in the pantry, so it needs very little last-minute shopping. She also points out that the sauce keeps for a week in the fridge, which means dinner is really just boiling pasta.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)

Ina Garten Szechuan Noodles

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Course: SaladCuisine: American, ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

620

kcal

A thick peanut and sesame sauce coats every strand of spaghetti, while julienned bell peppers and scallions add crunch and color. Serve it warm or at room temperature, and add the leftover sauce when the noodles need a little more moisture.

Ingredients

• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  

• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
  

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  

• 1/2 cup good soy sauce
  

• 1/4 cup dry sherry
  

• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
  

• 1/4 cup honey
  

• 1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil
  

• 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
  

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  

• 1 pound spaghetti
  

• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
  

• 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
  

• 4 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)
  

Directions

• Blend the sauce: Place 6 chopped garlic cloves and 1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Then add 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup tahini, 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup soy sauce.
• Finish the sauce: Add 1/4 cup dry sherry, 1/4 cup sherry vinegar, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil and 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil. Then add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, and purée until smooth.
• Boil the spaghetti: Add a splash of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water, then cook 1 pound of spaghetti al dente. The oil keeps the strands from clumping together while they cook.
• Drain the pasta: Drain the spaghetti in a colander and move it to a large bowl right away. Keep it warm, since warm noodles take up the sauce much better.
• Toss with sauce: While the pasta is still warm, toss it with three-quarters of the sauce until every strand is coated. Hold the rest back so you can adjust the moisture at the end.
• Add the vegetables: Add the julienned red and yellow bell peppers and the 4 diagonally sliced scallions, white and green parts. Toss well so the vegetables spread evenly through the noodles.
• Adjust and serve: Serve the noodles warm or at room temperature. Stir in the remaining sauce as needed to moisten the pasta.

Tools for this recipe

• Cuisinart 14-cup food processor, OXO 5-quart stainless steel colander, Pyrex 3-piece glass mixing bowl set. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make the sauce ahead of time?

Yes, the sauce keeps well when made up to a week ahead and stored in the fridge. Just stir it before using, then toss it with freshly cooked warm pasta right before serving.

Why shouldn't I mix the sauce and pasta too early?

The soy sauce tends to break down the noodles and make them mushy if they sit together for long. Combine them at the last minute and the spaghetti keeps its bite.

What can I use instead of tahini or peanut butter?

If you don't have tahini, a bit more smooth peanut butter will work, though the sauce loses some of its sesame flavor. Use smooth peanut butter without chunks so the sauce stays silky.

Can I make it less spicy?

The heat comes from the hot chili oil and the pinch of cayenne, so cut back on both or leave them out. The garlic, ginger and sesame keep plenty of flavor without the spice.

What's the most common mistake with this salad?

The most common mistake is letting the noodles cool before saucing them, because the sauce then sits on the surface instead of soaking in. Toss while the spaghetti is still warm and add the leftover sauce only if it looks dry.