Southwest Pasta Salad Recipe with Corn and Black Beans
Southwest Pasta Salad is a scrumptious pasta potluck dish based on corn and black bean salsa. This creamy bean pasta salad is a must-make!
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta cooked and drained
- 3 ears of corn grilled and cut from cob (about 1 ½ cups kernels - see Notes for substitutes)
- 1 ½ cups halved grape tomatoes
- 1 cup black beans (if canned, drained and rinsed)
- 2 bell peppers diced (any color)
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese cut into cubes
- 2 avocados pitted, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2-3 chipotle in adobo sauce (see Notes)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice or lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked pasta, corn, tomatoes, black beans, bell peppers, cheese, avocado, and chopped cilantro. Toss to combine.
- Prepare the chipotle ranch dressing by placing all dressing ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Chop/blend until pureed and evenly combined. Thin with water for desired consistency as needed.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to distribute. (See Notes)
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and use within 3-4 days.
- An average sized ear of corn on the cob yields between ½ and ¾ cup of kernels. If sweet corn isn’t in season, you can substitute it with fire-roasted corn kernels, sold in the frozen food section of most grocery stores. Or, feel free to use plain frozen corn. Thaw and drain frozen corn before adding it to the salad.
- Adjust the number of chipotle peppers for desired spice level. I found 2 to be very mild and 3 to be moderately spicy.
- As with any pasta salad, the dressing gets absorbed into the pasta as it sits. If you’re not serving immediately, I recommend tossing with ½ of the dressing, and reserve the remaining dressing for tossing again just before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 4 | Calories: 606cal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 487mg | Sugar: 7g | Fiber: 9g | Calcium: 249mg | Iron: 2mg