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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!
Fantastic! The blend of flavors and textures was amazing! I didn’t have romaine (since I don’t like it), so I used a combination of spinach and arugula. I forgot about the crispy shallots. I’ll be sure to do that next time.
Hi Djienne,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed:) xx
This was really yummy and light!!
Hey Kristi,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
If I’m a high protein kind of girl, could I add fried chicken to this dish? Would the mushroom marinade work for chicken too?
Hey Anna,
Yes! I think this sounds pretty great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this tonight. It was really good and surprisingly filling but light! I wish the shallots had been listed on the bottom with the veggies. I accidentally tossed them into the marinade (blame the newborn baby fog) Super yummy. I did only 1 tbsp of sambal oelek since our kiddos were eating it too. Definitely different but that’s what I wanted.
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Lety!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
This was really yummy and light!!
Tieghan has it goin’ on!!! I tried this recipe for the 1st time on a weeknight and I just have to say–WOW! IT was glorious and although simple, contained so many amazing chef-quality complexities any palate would have to appreciate! I particularly appreciated how she used texture with the cuts of the veggies–I am not a romaine person normally as it can be overbearing but shredding it was brilliant! It allowed so many things to come together without seeming too giant.
The dressing was especially tasty in pulling together the noodles with the salad. I loved the flavor so much, my husband and I almost used it all up in 1 sitting–we kept spooning more on each bite (confession)! I followed it nearly to a T–except used ahi tuna (sorry) to replace the shrooms. I can forsee steak or shrimp also working though.
All of these ingredients are already on rerun in our kitchen pretty much weekly, and will probably keep this one in heavy rotation for summer–like the orzo stuffed peppers. Again–brilliant call bringing the hot and cool together with spicy peppers and mint. I dig Half Baked Harvest! Thank you <3
You are too sweet!! Thank you so much Jen! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Definitely my favorite salad recipe !
Thank you so much Florence! xTieghan
What a fantastic recipe! I will be making this again very soon!
Thank you Wendy! xTieghan
Hi! I have made so many of your recipes and this one was sooo delicious. Huge crowd pleaser! However I found the recipe confusing because the only shallots mentioned were in the mushroom marinade and it was unclear wether the shallots to be crisped were from the marinade or additional shallots?
Hey Ashley! I am so sorry for the confusion, the shallots on top of the salad are additional shallots, these are totally optional, which is why I did not include them in the recipe. You can choose to add them or leave them off. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you loved this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this tonight and had most of the ingredients with a couple small changes (only because I didn’t have a couple of items) and this recipe is definitely a keeper! Very tasty and I be making it again soon…yummmm!!!
So happy to hear that Wendy! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I just made this and it was delicious! My husband is obsessed with the dressing, nice and spicy! It was too spicy for my daughter so I added put the mushroom marinate on her serving and she ate it up! Your recipes are brilliant, thank you!
You are too sweet! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe Jaime! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This is my new summer salad go too! I’m not a mushroom girl, so I simply left them out. It was still delicious. The dressing is perfect for this salad, but could be used for anything! Thanks for another great meal.
Thank you Annie! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
My family said this is the best meal they have eaten! Added shrimp and chicken.
Love that! Thank you Lucy! xTieghan
This looks wonderful! I’m just wondering what you might be able to substitute for the peanut butter or if you could simply omit it & the sauce would still taste good?
HI! You can sub the peanut butter for tahini or almond butter, OR you can omit it from the recipe. Either option will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
LOVE all of Tieghan’s recipes and this is no exception. Accidentally doubled up the spicy peanut vinaigrette and SO glad I did. It’s now my favorite salad dressing that jazzes up my sad desk lunches in the best way. And the marinated grilled mushrooms? Fabulous.
I am so glad you are loving my recipes, Lauren! That is so amazing to hear! I hope you continue to! xTieghan
Wish this was my dinner tonight! Such a gorgeous and fresh salad! 🙂
I hope you try this Laura! Thank you! xTieghan