Asian Salad in a Jar

This Asian Salad in a Jar is the sister to the meal prep OG, Southwestern Salad in a Jar. Made with a flavor-packed peanut sauce, this salad in a jar recipe is delicious, filling, healthy, and gluten-free. Peanut allergy? Use this Sweet and Tangy Sunflower Butter Sauce instead.

Asian Salad in a Jar has 10 key ingredients

1. Peanut Sauce (or Sweet and Tangy Sunflower Butter Sauce)
2. Red onion
3. Carrot
4. Cucumber
5. Red cabbage
6. Edamame, shelled
7. Brown (or black) rice
8. Nori seaweed, sheet
9. Kale (or collard greens)
10. Mixed baby salad greens (or chopped Romaine or arugula), for serving

You'll also need three 32-ounce quart-size (946 ml) mason jars with lids.

You can also add a sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional).

This combination is reminiscent of the Asian Noodle Salad and Spectacular Sushi Salad but in a meal prep form.

How to Make Salad in a Jar

Start by preparing the brown or black rice, and shelled edamame.

Cook the brown (or black) rice and shelled edamame according to package instructions. To speed up the cooling process, spread cooked rice onto a shallow baking sheet or large plate and put it in the refrigerator while you prepare the remaining ingredients. To cool edamame, simply put it into a strainer and run under cold water for a few seconds.

Prepare the Peanut Sauce and set aside.

Prepare other vegetables and nori. See Pro Tip below.

Assemble the salad in a jar using three 32-ounce or quart-size (946 ml) mason jars. Line up the jars and start by pouring ⅓ cup of Peanut Sauce. Then layer the red onion, carrot, cucumber, purple cabbage, edamame, nori, brown rice, and kale. Adding the kale at the top keeps it from getting soggy. Sprinkle optional sesame seeds, if using. See How to Assemble the Salad Jar Below for further step-by-step instructions.

Pro Tip for preparing nori

An easy way to ensure you get an even distribution of nori seaweed in your salad is to use kitchen scissors to cut into thin strips.

1. Grab a clean (and dry) pair of kitchen scissors.
2. Cut the nori sheet into four or five long strips.
3. Stack the long strips and cut them into smaller bite-size strips as shown below.

How to assemble

There are different ways to assemble the salad in the jar, but two key considerations for having a salad that stays fresh for the 4 to 5 days you may have it in your refrigerator. First, the peanut sauce always goes on the bottom. Second, the kale or collard greens is always at the top with any seeds you decide to add.

Be sure to consider the second layer that goes on top of the sauce. Often, it's the chopped onion, carrot or cucumber because these veggies have a high water content. If you add the brown rice as the second layer it may absorb some of the moisture from the sauce, so choose intentionally.

If using, sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the chopped kale. Secure the lids and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How to serve

When ready to eat, shake the jar to combine the ingredients and add to a large bed (about 3 to 4 cups) of mixed salad greens, chopped romaine lettuce or arugula. Enjoy!

We hope you love this Asian Salad in a Jar, and that it becomes a meal prep favorite for you too. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielfastrecipes so we can see your creation!

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