Mexican Pasta Salad
Mexican pasta salad is a cold pasta salad made with vegetable pasta, diced vegetables, pinto beans, grilled corn, dressing in a slightly spicy southwest dressing. Then, garnish with fresh avocado, jalapeno slices, vegan feta cheese, and lime wedges for added bliss.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 276kcal
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 12 ounces vegetable pasta I used Trader Joe's Vegetable Radiatore or pasta of choice
- 15 ounces organic pinto beans or black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
- 2 corn on the cob grilled or boiled, cut from the cob, or 2 cups canned or frozen corn
- 1 zucchini diced
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
Dressing
- 1 recipe Vegan Southwest Dressing OR
- 1 recipe Green Goddess Dressing nut-free option
Optional Garnishes
- ⅓ cup vegan tofu feta cheese
- 2 avocados diced (do not dice until right before serving to avoid browning)
- 3 limes cut into wedges
- 3 jalapenos sliced thin
Instructions
Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package
- Immediately transfer to a colander and run cold water through the pasta to stop cooking and bring to room temperature.
- Once cooled, transfer pasta to a large bowl.
- Now add the chopped vegetables, pinto beans, and cilantro.
- Toss lightly to avoid breaking the delicate pasta
- Then make the dressing.
- Dressing: Vegan Southwest Dressing or Green Goddess Dressing
- Choose one of the 2 dressing options.
- Place all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour half the dressing over the pasta and vegetables, and fold I carefully.
- Reserve the remaining dressing and cover.
- Cover the pasta salad and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Right before serving, fold in the remaining dressing.
Optional Garnishes
- Spoon Mexican pasta salad into individual bowls or plates.
- Then, add chopped avocado, sliced jalapenos, sprinkle with vegan feta cheese, and add a couple of lime wedges to each bowl.
Notes
- To enhance the already incredible Mexican flavors, I added a few extra ingredients as a garnish add tofu feta cheese, lime wedges, chopped avocado (to avoid browning, add the avocado right before serving), and sliced jalapenos.
- When making the dressing, the amount of water used depends on how watery or chunky the salsa you choose is. First, try to blend it without water; then add the water slowly, blend, and add water to desired thickness.
- For the best results, only fold in half the dressing to the pasta salad, and then add the rest of the dressing right before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 510mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 639IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg