Food & Cooking Recipes Lunch Recipes Quick & Easy Lunch Recipes 21 Cold Noodle Salads That Are Perfect for Lunch By Frances Kim Frances Kim Website Frances is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 23, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Marcus Nilsson Figuring out what to make for lunch every day can feel overwhelming. Instead of settling for the same salad or sandwich on repeat, why not spice things up with a cold noodle salad? They're easy to make, often come together quickly, and can be prepared in advance, which means figuring out what to eat during your 30 minute lunch break just got a whole lot easier. What makes these dishes so ideal for your mid-day meal is that they're easy to prep in bulk; whip up a large batch at the beginning of the week, and portion them out into individual containers stored in the fridge; a delicious, healthy lunch will always be at your fingertips, and that's true whether you're tossing it in your bag to eat in the office or if you're walking from the living room to the kitchen for lunch. And because many of these recipes are chock-full of fresh vegetables and seasonings, like our Soba Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Tomato, pictured here, they're lunches you can feel so good about eating. But that's just one of the many vegetarian-friendly cold noodle salads we're sharing. While the cold noodles are the focal point of these dishes, it's almost always the sauces mixed in that make each one unique. Our Cold Sesame Noodles, for example, is made of thick Udon enveloped in a sweet-and-spicy mixture of peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed red-pepper flakes. It's the type of lunch you'll want to make time and time again. We have plenty of options for meat-eaters, too. Try our Easy Thai Beef Salad, which comes together in only 15 minutes, and serves two—meaning you'll have two days' worth of lunches planned for the week in one go. Our Chicken and Shredded-Cabbage Salad with Noodles features a mixture of noodles, vegetables, and filling protein, and it gets a kick from spicy serrano chiles. Ahead, explore more of our delicious cold noodle salads that serve as tasty make-ahead recipes. 01 of 21 Soba with Salmon and Watercress You'll devour this oh-so-elegant lunch in a flash. Toss soba with poached salmon, watercress, buttermilk, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and chives, then chill until ready to eat. View Recipe 02 of 21 Cold Peanut Noodles You're going to want to put this peanut sauce on everything, but start by using it as a dressing for whole-wheat spaghetti. Top with shredded bok choy and carrots for a crunchy, nourishing lunch. View Recipe 03 of 21 Soba Noodle Salad with Chicken and Scallions Cold noodle salads are a great vehicle for using up leftover chicken. Add some thinly sliced red cabbage, scallions, and a soy-ginger dressing, and you've got lunch! View Recipe 04 of 21 Asian Noodle Salad with Peanuts and Mint Seeking a healthy, satiating lunch? Sit down to a bowl of soba tossed with scallions, cucumber, peanuts, mint, and soy-lime dressing. View Recipe 05 of 21 Soba Noodle Salad Raymond Hom Soba noodles are the perfect partner for crunchy vegetables like cucumbers, radishes, and sugar snap peas. Dress with oil, soy sauce, and fresh lemon juice for a light yet satisfying lunch. View Recipe 06 of 21 Lighter Sesame Noodles Our better-for-you version of the takeout favorite calls for whole-wheat spaghetti, a mix of broccoli, bell peppers, onion, and a no-cook sesame-peanut sauce. View Recipe 07 of 21 Cold Soba Salad with Feta and Cucumber You only need 15 minutes to assemble this buckwheat noodle salad with lemon vinaigrette. Cucumbers and red cabbage give it crunch, salty feta lends richness, and fresh parsley adds a bright note. View Recipe 08 of 21 Easy Thai Beef Salad Take roast beef beyond the sandwich; toss it with cellophane noodles, carrots, mint, and peanuts instead. A zesty curry-lime sauce ties all the flavors together. View Recipe 09 of 21 Cold Soba-Noodle Salad with Chicken, Peppers, and Cucumber Using store-bought rotisserie chicken helps this recipe come together super quickly. Shred the meat and toss with bell peppers, fresh basil, cucumbers, soba, and lime vinaigrette. View Recipe 10 of 21 Soba Salad with Asparagus and Shrimp Petrina Tinslay Using the same pot to cook the asparagus, shrimp, and soba is a huge timesaver in this quick and easy recipe. View Recipe 11 of 21 Chicken and Shredded-Cabbage Salad with Noodles and Peanut Sauce This noodle salad combines all of our favorite things—tender poached chicken, crunchy cabbage and carrots, fiery serrano chiles, gingery peanut sauce, and fresh mint and cilantro. It also makes enough to feed a crowd, so you can have it for lunch all week or bring it to a potluck! View Recipe 12 of 21 Pork And Soba Noodle Salad Breathe new life into leftover pork tenderloin by tossing it with soba, carrots, bell pepper, scallions, and hoisin-lime sauce. Want to add even more flavor at lunchtime? Pack some red-pepper flakes and lime wedges. View Recipe 13 of 21 Asian Noodle Salad Here's a no-fail lunch we adore. Combine buckwheat noodles with blanched green beans, firm silken tofu, scallions, and a sesame-soy dressing, then chill overnight in an airtight container. View Recipe 14 of 21 Cold Soba Noodle Salad If you've got soba, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame seeds in your pantry, all you need to pick up to make this recipe is fresh cilantro. You can also add chili oil for a little heat. View Recipe 15 of 21 Soba Noodles with Tofu, Avocado, and Snow Peas Sang An Fresh ginger and a serrano chile are cooked with sugar and water as a delicious garnish for this noodle salad, and the resulting syrup takes the soy-lime dressing to the next level. Bonus tip: Roll the avocado in sesame seeds to prevent the surface from browning. View Recipe 16 of 21 Ginger-Peanut Somen Noodles Beatriz de Costa You can find somen, thin Japanese wheat noodles, in the Asian section of your grocery store. Dress them with lime-ginger vinaigrette, chill, and garnish with scallions and roasted peanuts—all that's left to do is sit back and enjoy your next-level lunch! View Recipe 17 of 21 Papaya, Shrimp, and Soba Salad Kate Sears A bright and tangy dish, this cold noodle salad is just the thing to brighten up your workday. It comes together in 30 minutes, and makes four servings. View Recipe 18 of 21 Cold Udon with Crab and Cucumber Yunhee Kim The briny, delicious taste of the crab, soft udon, and crunchy cucumber come together for a satisfying bite in this cold noodle salad. View Recipe 19 of 21 Cold Sesame Noodles Whether served as a side dish or beneath your favorite protein for a unique lunch, these cold sesame noodles are sure to hit the spot. View Recipe 20 of 21 Cellophane-Noodle Salad This recipe makes eight servings, leaving you with plenty of pre-packed lunches for the week, but you could also share this cold noodle salad with a friend. View Recipe 21 of 21 Japanese Salad with Shiso Leaves, Sake, and Soba Noodles Deep-fried tempura crumbs add crunch to this delicious cold noodle salad. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit