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Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Mushrooms and Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. When in need of a spring refresh…make this salad! A mix of lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, rice noodles, crispy shallots, and grilled sesame marinated mushrooms caps. Add in some heat with a spicy peanut vinaigrette, then balance it all out with a squeeze of lime. Best part? The leftovers make for an incredible lunch the following day. Bonus…this salad is naturally vegan, and gluten free too.
Hands down, without a doubt, this is one of my favorite recipes I’ve made so far this month. And trust me, that’s really saying something. Behind the scenes I’ve cooked/baked more recipes than you could probably ever guess. So much cooking.
But this salad! It’s truly one of those extra special recipes. It’s fresh, beautiful, full of so many textures and flavors, and every last bite is so delicious. I already know I’ll be making this salad from now throughout the summer. Yes, it’s really that good, and what’s most exciting is that this is a salad that just doesn’t get boring. Way too much going on for this salad to ever be boring…
Vegetables, rice noodles, marinated grilled mushrooms, crispy shallots, and the most addicting spicy peanut lime vinaigrette.
Absolutely nothing boring about that.
Here’s the story.
My brother Brendan, and (soon to be) sister-in-law Lyndsie, have been down in Round Top, Texas antique shopping for work. They’ve been searching high and low for all the best antique furniture. And in the process, they’ve also been eating some damn good Texas food…
Enter this salad. Lyn’s text me the other day saying, what about a “Vietnamese cold rice noodle salad with an Asian marinated Portobello”? The second that text message flew across my screen I knew immediately I’d be making my own version. And I did, that the very next day. And here it is today!
My picture perfect spring time salad that I LOVE so very much. Again, it’s a good one.
PS. It seems some of my favorite recipes start with “my brother and (soon to be) sister-in-law”…love these two!
The details.
I know this salad has a long ingredient list, and for that I am so sorry. But hear me out…
This is not a hard salad and it’s not time consuming. It’s just full of vegetables and a really delicious vinaigrette, so the ingredients add up. If you’re a good HBH reader, then you already have your pantry stocked with most of these ingredients. And if that’s the case this recipe will be a breeze.
First up, marinate those mushrooms. You need a little oil, a little soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Let the mushrooms marinate a few minutes or up to 1 day.
While the mushrooms marinate, toss together everything for the salad and make the vinaigrette. The salad is a mix of lettuce, so many carrots, other vegetables, herbs, and rice noodles. The noodles are key. They add that something special to this salad that most salads lack.
The noodles, the mushrooms, and the vinaigrette, these are that “something special” component of the salad.
The vinaigrette is spicy, tangy, and just a touch peanutty, so all of my favorite things. Honestly, it’s addicting, and can be used in many other recipes. I’m talking peanut noodles, sauce for chicken or steak, or served up with my homemade potstickers.
Once you put the salad together and make the vinaigrette, grill up the mushrooms, crisp the shallots, and put everything together. I highly recommend going heavy on the vinaigrette…but that’s just me. I love everything extra saucy, just like my dad.
Now, I realize this is not the quickest salad recipe out there, but I promise any extra effort is VERY worth your time. My tip? Double up on the ingredients and do a little meal prep as you are making this. The undressed salad will keep well in the fridge for a few days. It’s just as delicious right out of the fridge as it is warm.
So, dinner tonight can be lunch tomorrow, and possibly even for the week, depending on how much you make.
With that extra bonus, I hope I’ve now convinced you that you really need to make this salad. Preferably soon because I know once you try it, you too will be making it weekly!
And yes, this salad is 100% vegan and gluten free. I don’t know how I did that without even trying, but I did!
If you make this Vietnamese rice noodle salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Mushrooms and Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 572 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Mushrooms
- 4-6 Portobello mushroom caps, halved
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
Salad
- 4 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
- 3 heads romaine lettuce, shredded
- 4 carrots, shredded
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup each fresh cilantro and mint, roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1 Fresno or jalapeño pepper, sliced
Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons chili sauce (I like sambal oelek)
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey (use maple syrup if vegan)
- 1-2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- 1. Add the mushrooms to a ziplock bag. Next add the oil, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Seal the bag and marinate 10 minutes, or in the fridge up to overnight.2. Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to package directions. 3. In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, carrots, green onions, cucumbers, cilantro, and mint. 4. To make the vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or measuring cup and shake (or whisk) until completely smooth. 5. Preheat your grill, grill pan, or skillet to high. Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and sear for 5 minutes, flip and sear another 5 minutes or until lightly charred on both sides. Slice into strips.6. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over hight heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until caramelized, about 3 minutes. Remove from the pot to the paper towel lined plate. The shallots will crisp as they dry. 7. To serve, toss the salad with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette, then divide the salad among 4 bowls. Add rice noodles and mushrooms to each bowl. Drizzle each bowl with additional vinaigrette and top with shallots, peanuts and chili peppers. Enjoy!
Just meal prepped this recipe and my day is made! Excited for a fresh, interesting week of lunches ahead. I enjoyed the first bowl today and wowza ~ this is light and flavorful, an energizing dish for spring. Based on availability, I opted for pre-sliced baby bellas and sauteed them instead of grilling. I would NOT recommend substituting the thinnest of rice noodles – these were the perfect pairing to spring veggies and soaked up the sauces for a clean eating meal! Will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much! I am so glad this turned out amazing! xTieghan
Made this last night and LOVED it. I mixed some of the dressing with the noodles as soon as they were done so they wouldn’t clump. So delicious.
Thank you so much Meredith! xTieghan
Made this for supper tonight. Big success! Delicious combination of flavors and texture. Will make again and again, I’m sure!
Thank you Sheran! xTieghan
I was ambitious and made both your lemon raspberry brown butter squares AND Vietnamese noodles-both were delicious. I didn’t have chili paste and used Thai red curry paste instead in the dressing. A friend had given me several pounds of Thai basmati rice noodles and it added another dimension. I ate it warm but could definitely be eaten cold. This is one of those recipes you can easily substitute certain items for.
I am so glad you loved both of the recipes, Christina! Thank you so much! xTieghan
this is making me hungry
So glad you like this! Thank you Ruth! xTieghan
Want to try this recipe, looks great, but is only gluten free if you’re using GF tamari or soy sauce.
Thank you Linda! xTieghan
I don’t have a grill. BUT. I’m wondering if I could cook the mushrooms in a waffle iron instead… I mean, if you can cook pizza dough, hash browns, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc in a waffle iron.
Just thinking out loud, no need to confirm or deny. 🙂 5 star recipe!
I’m so thankful that Spring is finally here. Especially so I can try recipes like this Vietnamese Noodle Salad. It looks so fresh and colorful and the peanut vinaigrette sounds amazing and flavorful. And BTW, I cannot imagine how much you cook and bake. It’s is amazing all the wonderful recipes you share with us every week. Thanks for all your hard work.
Thank you Linger! xTieghan
This salad looks absolutely amazing, Tieghan!! I love that you got the inspiration from your soon to be sister-in-law 🙂
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
Honey is not vegan….
Thank you Lisa! I will make sure to change that. I have seen that a lot of people that consider themselves vegan or plant based still eat honey, but I understand for those who choose not to! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this…great flavors. No issue with the ingredient list.
Thanks Joyce! xTieghan
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it and dig in! Just FYI, honey isn’t considered vegan. But I’m not vegan, so I’m all in! 🙂
Thanks Kara! xTieghan
No apologies needed for a long ingredient list! Yes, I love a quick and easy recipe but sometimes I actually enjoy the shopping, chopping, marinating, peeling, and all that goes into making something special for the people you love. This is something I learned from my grandma. Like you, I miss my grandma SO MUCH. If I’m ever a grandma, I want my grandchildren to feel how I did being her grandchild. She was my person. My grandma’s pie said, “I love you and I made this for you” and I think it’s nice to go all out for our special people. That’s all!
Its kind of therapeutic right?! I am s oglad you like this, Dana! Thank you!
A little FYI. Not all soy sauce is gluten free so for those people that have celiac disease there is soy sauce that is gluten free. Also, this recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait to try it! Thank you.
Thank you Ellette! I hope you try this! xTieghan
Simply gorgeous!!! My husband is a huge mushroom fan so he’s going to love this!! On the menu for this weekend for sure!!!
YES! I hope you both love this Rosa! Thank you! xTieghan