Mexican Pasta Salad with Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing
This Mexican Pasta Salad recipe is the best ever. It's loaded with creamy avocados, sweet corn, black beans, crunchy green peppers and red onions, pasta. Then it's smothered in a creamy (and easily vegan!) chipotle lime dressing. You will LOVE it!
Warning: I'm even more excited to share this recipe with you than usual.
Here's the thing, when I set out to make this Mexican Pasta Salad I did it as a bit of a challenge. I don't normally like pasta salad (I know, I'm a weirdo) so I wanted to make one that I really liked. I figured that if I could win over the toughest critic (me!) then it must be a really amazing pasta salad.
I also decided that it had to be easily be made into a vegan pasta salad. Making the best pasta salad recipe ever and expecting it to be easily vegan adaptable is no small challenge!
After the first time I made this Mexican Pasta Salad, here's what happened: I went back for three (3!!!) servings. I've never in my life taken even a second serving so this was groundbreaking.
What makes this Mexican Pasta Salad so amazing
- It is LOADED with all the good things. This is not a pasta salad that is all pasta with some creamy dressing. It is the perfect mix of contrasting flavors and textures and interesting with every bite.
- Creamy avocados and black beans, crunchy jalapeños and green peppers, sweet corn and cherry tomatoes, and delicious cilantro.
- The chipotle lime dressing. You guys, it's so good. It's creamy with a touch of smoky heat and a tang of lime. It's delicious.
- There is so much going on in this pasta salad that you would easily eat this as dinner.
- And the leftovers keep very well. Think healthy meal prep work/ school lunches!
The Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing
Any pasta salad recipe is only as good as what it's tossed in and this Mexican Pasta Salad is no different. What I've made for us is the most delicious chipotle lime dressing.
That spoonful of sauce up there is a magical, Mexican salad dressing.
It's made with freshly squeezed lime juice, chipotle sauce, garlic, a little oregano, and thick Greek yogurt. To make this a vegan pasta salad, simply use your favorite vegan yogurt or vegan mayo. So easy!
Note: if you try the dressing before you pour it over the pasta salad you'll think it's too salty. That's because the dressing needs to be salty enough to flavor all the pasta, tomatoes, beans, corn, and all the other good things in the salad. Once you pour it on and toss it, you'll see that it's perfect.
Watch the Mexican Pasta Salad video
Healthy Pasta Recipes:
- Warm Caprese Pesto Pasta
- Deliciously Rich Lentil Bolognese
- One Pot Vegan Pasta with Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
- Green Goddess Pasta Bowls
- Creamiest Dairy-Free Tomato Cream Sauce
Mexican Pasta Salad
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
Mexican Pasta Salad
- 8 ounces dried pasta, Chickapea Pasta Spirals are a great gluten-free option
- 2 cobs of corn, or 2 cups frozen and thawed corn
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 green pepper, minced
- 1 avocado, diced
- ½ – 1 jalapeño, finely minced
Chipotle Lime Dressing
- ¾ cup greek yogurt, regular or vegan, both work
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup avocado oil, or another neutral-flavored oil
- 3 tablespoons adobo sauce, the sauce that comes in jars of chipotle peppers
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, grated on a Microplane or finely minced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the 2 cobs of corn and the pasta to the pot and cook for 7-9 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Remove the corn from the pot then drain the pasta with a colander and rinse it under cold running water. Cut the kernels from the cobs of corn.8 ounces dried pasta, 2 cobs of corn
- While the pasta is cooking, add all the Chipotle Lime Dressing ingredients to a 2-cup mason jar and shake to mix.¾ cup greek yogurt, ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice, ¼ cup avocado oil, 3 tablespoons adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 clove garlic
- Place the cooked pasta, corn, cherry tomatoes, black beans, red onion, cilantro, green pepper, avocado, and jalapeño in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to mix everything together.2 cups halved cherry tomatoes, 15 ounce can of black beans, ¼ cup minced red onion, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1 green pepper, 1 avocado, ½ – 1 jalapeño
WOW. Literally best pasta salad I’ve ever tasted. I make this on the regular, and a lot of the time I actually omit a few ingredients just to make it easier on myself. Usually I just do pasta, corn, beans, green pepper, red onion and the sauce. It tastes AMAZING whether I follow the recipe to a T, or if I cut out some veggies to avoid more chopping 🙂
I ALWAYS use a full box of pasta so that I can have more to eat. I’ve never had to make more sauce to accommodate the extra pasta.
Do you have any tips on how to use chickpea pasta for the pasta salad without it falling apart into mush? I have stopped using chickpea pasta for pasta salads for this reason! It totally turns into a mushy shredded mess why I try and mix it all together 🙁
Gluten-free pasta is definitely tricky and each brand is a little different. I usually cook it for a little less than what the package says then shock it under cold water to stop the cooking. 🙂
I made this recipe for a luncheon and it was absolutely delicious. I would definitely recommend it.
I just would like to note that it took my husband and I, working together, approximately 1/2 hour to make the salad and the dressing, not counting cook time. I would not say 15 minute prep time.
Would Adobo Sauce I found on Amazon work. It doesn’t have Peppers in it?? Just the Sauce. It says it’s thick.
That sounds like the right stuff. 🙂
Delicious summer salad. I used gluten free spiral pasta and Hellman’s mayo as out of vegan option. Grandkids went back for seconds and thirds!
I don’t have adobo sauce. Will chipotle black pepper seasoning work, do you think?
I’m not familiar with that seasoning but it does sound like it might work.
Oh My! I went to heaven and back, for 2nds that is!!!
This was such a party in the mouth recipe. I loved the tangy flavors. It is going into our rotation. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe with us. Food challenges might not be such a hard thing anymore.
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting us know!
This recipe is SO easy and delicious!! The chipotle lime dressing is so tasty. I used fat-free greek yogurt and only 2 Tbsp of oil to cut down the fat & calories, and it was still very flavorful. I usually make twice as much dressing in pasta salad recipes because I hate when a pasta salad is too “dry,” but this was the perfect ratio of dressing to salad. I also omitted the jalapeno- The adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers gave it plenty of kick. I made this for myself (and brought it for lunches at work), but I’m going to bring this to my next work putluck and I’m sure it will be a hit! Thanks for the great recipe!
You’re so welcome!
I made this for my grandsons scout camp family day. It was a hit! Brought home a empty dish.
So happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
Should I make the day of or day before??
It can easily be made the day before if you want to plan ahead.
Ive found chipotle lime dressing online, may be easier than making it homemade. Any idea on how much of the dressing i need to pour?
About a cup!
would any veg oil be fine ? like canola or olive?
Yep! Any light flavored oil will work well. 🙂
Holy expletive, I just made this, and it is delicious! It’s a beautiful way to make winter in NYC a little cheerier. A number of notes:
Proving I’m a tragic saltaholic, I actually would probably double the amount of salt next time, but the recipe as is would satisfy normal people 🙂
I didn’t have enough tomatoes or pasta on hand, so I supplemented with minced carrot. I used more cilantro than called for because yum. I recommend a less than ripe avocado to withstand the dressing and tossing without becoming an unrecognizable mushy mess. I suspect you could get creative with the ingredients and use almost any combo of crunchy veggies. Radish would be great, just like they serve on Mexican street tacos!
I used red lentil rotini, which worked great, especially because of the color. Using alternative pastas is a great idea because they hold up well to the saucing and tossing!
I used slightly hot Anaheim pepper rather than bell, and I used a whole jalapeño. That is zesty!!
Next time I will use a food processor to blend the chilis in sauce and strain the liquid into the dressing to intensify the flavor and texture.
Measuring dressing ingredients into a mason jar was a pain, and I think whisking in a bowl would suffice.
Overall a really delicious and genius recipe. I can’t wait to taste again tomorrow after the flavors have melded. I think serving at room temperature would be divine. Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! And good call on the hot pepper. Spicy is always better in my books!
This looks amazing! I’m going to try and make this recipe and see if it’s something that works for our summer parties at the lake house in Clear Lake, California. We typically serve around 100 people over the weekend, do you think this recipe is easy to scale for that many people?
That sounds like a big party! I definitely haven’t scaled it to that size before but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. 🙂
Hi! I must have pit in too much adobo sauce, my salad is way too spicy! Any suggestion on how to tame it?
Thanks
If you’re finding it too spicy you can add some extra yogurt or put in a scoop of mayonnaise. That should do it!
You’re right this is the best pasta salad ever! I was skeptical about the chickapea pasta cause I’ve tried some gluten free pasta that I didn’t like but this one was just like you said it is. Making this again for a family bbq next weekend!
Isn’t it great? I can’t get enough of it. Happy to hear you like it too!!
This dish looks awesome!
It really is my favorite pasta salad recipe!!
Can’t wit to try this ASAP!! I know we already love Mexican salads and the addition of Chickapea makes it perfect for an easy summer dinner
Chickapea really is the best pasta, isn’t it?
I have no words Kristen! No words!! Just stupidly drooling over my keyboard right now!
Then my job here is done! Enjoy!!
Lovely recipe. How much cilantro please?
Thank you for pointing that out! It’s 1/4 cup. I’ve updated the recipe. 🙂
I just made this, and I”m not sure it will last for 4-6 servings… It’s DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for sharing this gem!
OH and our local IGA carries it!! Thanks for checking for me though!
That’s so great to hear! Yaaa!
You are so welcome!!
Sounds amazing Kristen! Can you get the chickpea pasta in Vancouver, or do you order it online? Gotta try it!
You totally have to try it! I buy mine at Nesters Market on Abbott Street in Gastown. I did a quick search for you but I don’t see any stores that carry them on the Sunshine Coast. Here’s a link to their store locator: https://www.choosechickapea.com/ca/where-to-buy/
Both Amazon and well.ca are both great places to buy it online!
Oh goodness. My belly is growling HARD over here. I am so in love with all of these ingredients! Everything is so fresh—and that dressing is *everything*. I love when you can indulge in a creamy dressing yet not feel guilty about it. Greek yogurt is magical. Beauty recipe!
Awww thank you so much! Healthy recipes are my favorite, but they have to feel indulgent, too. IMO. So with you about Greek yogurt. I love it!!
You totally killed it with this one Kristen! I’ve got a box of chickapea pasta sitting in my cupboard ready to go and this looks like the perfect thing!
You should totally make this recipe with it! I promise you won’t be disappointed!!
I am ALL about chipotle flavored anything, and this is no exception!
Right? There’s no such thing as too much chipotle in my books!
This looks so creamy and delicious, Kristen! Definitely on our must make summer menu!
It’s been on repeat here all summer!!
This pasta salad is right up my alley Kristen! I love Mexican flavors and Chickapea Pasta is so healthy that I love serving it to my family. I’ll definitely be making this!
Mexican flavors are my fav! And I love that you love Chickapea Pasta, too. It’s also our family’s fav!!
Wow! Just wow! This sounds and looks absolutely amazing! I to am not a huge pasta salad fan, but this I must try!! ??
I’m not either but this one won me over!!
This looks so yummy! Chickapea pasta makes it that much more filling! Love the flavors you’ve got going here, Kristen! Sharing!
I love using Chickapea Pasta for the big boost of protein it gives every recipe. And it just tastes great!
This looks fantastic, Kristen! I love the mix of veggies in here and the use of protein packed Chickapea pasta to bring them all together!
Thank you so much!!!
This Chipotle dressing is seriously incredible! Can’t wait to make this healthy salad, loaded with my favorite Chickapea pasta! YUMMY!
I’m so happy to hear you like Chickapea Pasta, too! It’s our fav!!
I love this creamy and healthy recipe, especially that you can make it vegan!
So nice to have options, isn’t it?!!
Everything I love in a summer meal! I also am not really a pasta salad fan — but put Chickapea and all of these other amazing things in the mix, and I am totally in! On the meal plan this week.
I’m not usually either! I loved using Chickapea in this recipe because it turned a usually unhealthy dish into a totally healthy one!
Oh wow, Kristen, this healthy pasta salad has got everything I love in a great dish. I’m a texture person and i need both creamy and crunchy – fantastic! These flavors!
The contrasting flavors is what I really love about this recipe. There’s so much going on here!