Name: Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Plant-based
Ingredients: 1/4 cup lime juice; 2 Tbsps coconut sugar or dark brown sugar, firmly packed; 2 Tbsps soy sauce (see Note); 1 clove garlic, minced; 3 to 4 ounces green beans, raw or lightly blanched (see Note); 2 medium zucchini, spiralized or julienned (see Note); 1/2 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes; 1/2 to 1 red Thai chili or other hot chili pepepr, seeded and thinly sliced; 2 Tbsps roasted lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped; Chives or scallions, thinly sliced

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Hannah Kaminsky offers an easy swap for green papaya, using more readily available zucchini noodles to re-create a favorite classic Thai salad, som tum. Thai zucchini noodle salad may not be authentic, but it’s easy to make and tastes fantastic!

Here’s what Hannah has to say about this cool delicacy: “Som tum, otherwise known as green papaya salad, is easily my favorite way to begin a meal.

Served chilled, the crisp strands of unripe papaya are cooling, yet still pop with bursts of heat from plentiful flecks of chile peppers.

Of course, the key ingredient, green papaya, eluded me in my limited hometown grocery stores, which is why I turned to the ever-popular spiralized zucchini noodles to create this variation from the original.”

Ingredients needed for Thai-flavored Zucchini Noodle Salad

Lime juice (bottled, or from 1 to 2 fresh limes)
Coconut sugar or dark brown sugar
Soy sauce
Garlic, fresh (1 clove)
Green beans, fresh (3 to 4 ounces)
Zucchini (2 medium)
Grape or cherry tomatoes (about 1/2 cup)
Red Thai chili or other fresh chili pepper
Lightly salted peanuts
Chives or scallions

Tips for making and serving this salad

Leave zucchini noodles undressed until last minute: Zucchini noodles don’t stay firm as long as green papaya does, so make sure you leave them undressed until the minute you’re ready to serve. It may not be the genuine article, but it transports me to a delicious new world of flavor with every single bite.

No spiral slicer? No problem: You can get spiralized zucchini (and other vegetables) in the produce section of well-stocked supermarkets.

Serving ideas: This is a perfect salad to serve with Vegan Pad See Ew or Easy Vegan Pad Thai. You can also pair it as a side-by-side dish with Thai Pineapple Salad with Peanut Dressing.

Explore more zucchini noodle dishes …

Yield: 2 to 4

Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad

In this Thai-style salad, ever-popular spiralized zucchini noodles create a variation from the original dish featuring green papaya.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing

1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbsps coconut sugar or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 Tbsps soy sauce (see Note)
1 clove garlic, minced

Salad

3 to 4 ounces green beans, raw or lightly blanched (see Note)
2 medium zucchini, spiralized or julienned (see Note)
1/2 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 to 1 red Thai chili or other hot chili pepepr, seeded and thinly sliced
2 Tbsps roasted lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Chives or scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

For the dressing, whisk together the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, and garlic. It will seem like a lot of liquid, but don’t worry, that’s exactly what you want! This isn’t like a traditional salad dressing; it should soak into the noodles a bit, and you will have a bit of a pool at the bottom when it’s in proper proportion.
In a medium bowl, place the green beans, zucchini ribbons, and tomatoes. Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat.
Add in the chile, just a little bit at a time, until it’s spicy enough for your personal taste. Give it one more good toss to mix everything around and evenly distribute the ingredients before transferring everything to a serving dish.
Top with a generous handful of sliced chives and chopped peanuts.
Don’t let this one sit around; Eat immediately!

Notes

To quickly blanch your green beans, drop them into boiling water for 30–60 seconds, until they turn bright green. Quickly plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. This is only necessary if your green beans are on the thicker, tougher side to begin with.

If you don’t have a spiralizer but like the idea of using zucchini “noodles,” look in the produce section of well-stocked supermarkets, where they’re often found near other prepped fresh vegetables.

Use a gluten-free soy sauce to keep this recipe gluten-free.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 598mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 3gSugar: 18gProtein: 4g

Nutrition data is always an estimate depending on program used to calculate and exact products used.

About Hannah Kaminsky: Hannah has developed an international following for her delicious recipes and mouthwatering food photography at the award-winning blog BitterSweet. Passionate about big flavors and simple techniques, she’s the author of Vegan Desserts, Vegan à la Mode, Easy as Vegan Pie, Real Food, Really Fast, Sweet Vegan Treats, The Student Vegan Cookbook, Super Vegan Scoops, and The Everyday Vegan Cheat Sheet Pan. Visit Hannah at BittersweetBlog.com.

See more easy vegan salads & sides.