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:

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Mexican Pasta Salad

• Author: Kristen Stevens
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American

★★★★★

5 from 13 reviews

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Description

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, and pasta. Then it's smothered in a creamy (and easily vegan!) chipotle lime dressing. You will LOVE it!

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Ingredients

The 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
• 1 – 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 green pepper, minced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 – 1 jalapeño, finely minced

The Chipotle Lime Dressing

• 3/4 cup thick yogurt (regular or vegan, both work)
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 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
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, grated on a Microplane

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Instructions

1. 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.
2. While the pasta is cooking, add all the Chipotle Lime Dressing ingredients to a 2-cup mason jar and shake to mix.
3. Place the cooked pasta, corn, cherry tomatoes, black beans, red onion, cilantro, green pepper, avocado, and jalapenño in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to mix everything together.

Notes

If you don't have a favorite vegan yogurt, you can substitute vegan mayonnaise for a richer pasta salad.

The dressing will taste quite salty. This is ok as it is the salt for the entire pasta salad.