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Pasta salad with chopped celery and chunks of spam in a light blue bowl.

Spam Pasta

This pasta salad has plenty of crispy Spam bits, crunchy nuts, fresh herbs and a tangy pickled ginger and sesame oil dressing.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword celery, cilantro, egg-free, pasta, pasta salad, peanuts, pickled ginger, spam, vinaigrette
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 260 kcal

Ingredients

  • 7 ounces pasta
  • 1 can lite Spam cubed
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons pickled ginger brine
  • 1/2 cup pickled ginger roughly chopped
  • 1/2 bunch green onions chopped
  • 2 stalks celery finely chopped
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup peanuts chopped

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium pot half full with water to a boil, then add a few big pinches of salt to the water. Add the pasta, and cook until it reaches your desired doneness. Drain off the water and set the pasta aside.
  2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, then add the Spam and space them out so they have room to fry. Flip them onto uncooked sides as they brown, and cook until a few sides (doesn’t have to be all but can be if you’re patient) are browned, 3-5 minutes total.
  3. Pour the Spam onto a paper towel lined plate, and blot off any of the excess grease.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, pepper, salt, vinegar, and pickled ginger brine. Add the pasta and toss to coat, then mix in the Spam, pickled ginger, green onions, celery, cilantro and peanuts.
  5. Taste the pasta salad, and adjust seasonings if needed before serving!

Recipe Notes

This is a pretty forgiving recipe, so feel free to swap the seasonings and toppings as you see fit.

You can make this ahead of time; if you do so, you can mix everything but the Spam, nuts and herbs in (add these when you serve the dish).

Serving size and calorie count are assuming you’re eating this as a side, but you can also eat as a main course.