Kimchi Is The Spicy Addition Your Pasta Salad Needs

If you love all things spicy and all things pickled, chances are you're head over heels for a good kimchi recipe. The ingredient list for this funky fermented spread varies; some versions will stick to using Napa cabbage, radishes, and carrots, while others will incorporate more unconventional veggies like zucchini and cucumbers. Regardless, the interplay of umami, from the fish sauce or a substitute, and heat from the red pepper flakes makes this a condiment that you can find so many creative uses for. But one that you may have yet considered is to add it to your pasta salad. 

Pasta salad is made with pretty rudimentary elements, including cold noodles, chopped veggies, and a dressing. But when you invite kimchi to the party, you'll find a new dimension of flavor. The crunchy veggies in the kimchi will complement the other veggies in the salad and add some textural diversity. Plus, we doubt a classic dressing could ever deliver punchy flavor notes like a top-tier kimchi brine can. 

If you just plop a spoonful of kimchi on top of any one of these pasta salads we can't get enough of and give it a stir, it will seem rightfully out of place. Rather, you'll want to shift the entire balance of this recipe to something more Asian-inspired. Instead of grabbing that bottle of Italian dressing from your fridge to dress your salad, whip up a simple concoction using ingredients like soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, and a little bit of the liquid from your kimchi jar. You'll find that the flavors of the kimchi work well with the saltiness of the soy sauce and the acidity of some of the other additions. If you're worried about the flavor leaning too salty or spicy, consider adding a dollop of honey to the dressing to balance everything out. 

As for vegetables, your options are seemingly limitless. Chop up some bell peppers, toss in some carrots, and don't forget the scallions. And if you don't want to go through the tedious process of chopping each by hand, consider grabbing a bag of coleslaw from the refrigerated section of your grocery store and using it for both your kimchi recipe and your pasta salad.