Mexican Pasta Salad

5 from 4 votes

Mexican Pasta Salad is filled with south-of-the-border ingredients and flavors, all tossed together in a deliciously creamy avocado dressing. The perfect way to feed your friends at your next potluck or warm-weather gathering.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Servings:

Calories: 402kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

12 ounces box bowtie pasta cooked, drained, and cooled
15 ounces can of black beans drained and rinsed
15 ounces can of yellow kernel corn drained and rinsed
1 pint package of grape tomatoes chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and diced
½ cup red onion diced
⅓ cup cilantro chopped
¾ cup avocado dressing
2 large avocados diced
1 cup queso fresco crumbled
Lime wedges optional garnish

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, gently mix together the cooked and cooled bowtie pasta, black beans, corn, grape tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, and cilantro until combined.
Drizzle on the dressing and gently combine to coat the salad.
You can either serve the salad now or chill it up to overnight before serving.
When ready to serve the salad, sprinkle on the diced avocado and cheese and serve with a lime wedge garnish, optional.

Notes

Storage:

To Store: Store any leftover Mexican Pasta Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tips:

Don’t over cook your pasta. You should cook the noodles just until al-dente; any longer and they will become mushy and fall apart when mixed with the other ingredients.
I used Bolthouse Farm’s Cilantro Avocado dressing. It can be found in the refrigerated dressings in your local Walmart or supermarket. You can also use another cilantro lime or avocado dressing if you wish.
If you prefer a different type of dressing, you could swap out the avocado dressing for a different flavor, such as a vinaigrette or ranch dressing.
If you prefer a spicier salad, leave the jalapeño seeds in, add additional or hotter peppers or hot sauce to the dressing. If you prefer a milder salad, you can omit the jalapeño altogether.
If you need to make the recipe gluten free, you can substitute the bowtie pasta with gluten free pasta and be sure to use a gluten free dressing.

Nutrition