Southwest pasta salad is a cool addition to a hot summer day. This pasta dish is zesty, packed with flavor, and filled with colorful goodness. It’s a great addition to a summer function and it’s vegetarian friendly.
I remember the first time I made this southwest pasta…it was my first year in grad school. I’ve recently changed my diet to plant based/vegan. I wanted to use the pantry items and I made this pasta vegan. To make this pasta vegan just simply skip the cotija cheese and replace the honey with agave. It’s so good guys! I’ve been making this southwest pasta salad for year and it’s time a share all the lovely details.
Southwest Pasta Salad Building Blocks
- Bow-tie Pasta: The key ingredient to this dish is the pasta of course! If the bow-tie pasta is not readily available, feel free to use rotini pasta.
- Corn: Who isn’t a fan of corn in the summer time? This ingredient is totally needed for the southwestern title.
- Bell peppers: A pop of color and full of healthy goodness like vitamin A, B6, C, E, and K1.
- Cotija cheese: Here at Dulcet we love cheese…so adding this ingredient to the pasta salad is a complete no brainer! Cotija cheese is similar to feta cheese, but originated in Michoacan, Mexico.
- Cherry tomatoes: Tomatoes set the mood for numerous salads…..this recipe is no different.
- Black beans: The beans in this dish is used as a source of protein. Not only is black beans beneficial for your health, it taste freaking amazing!
- Red onion: An onion will add a little heat and texture to the pasta salad, if a red onion is not available feel free to use a Spanish onion.
- Cilantro: Herb of choice is cilantro of course. Again one cannot call something “southwest” without the use of cilantro. Just like the bell peppers and black beans, cilantro contains tons of healthy benefits. Such as anticancer effects, anti-fugal properties, and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Dressing: Last, but not least, a salad just isn’t complete without a dressing right? Our killer dressing is explained in details below.
Tips & Tricks for a Killer Pasta Salad
- Definitely recommend making this pasta salad a day in advance. This allows all the flavors to mingle. Also, this pasta should be served chilled.
- Toss often if making ahead, it’s important to toss the salad. This keeps the salad dressing from settling at the bottom.
- Rinse the pasta in cold water. After cooking the pasta, immediately rinse in cold water. This step will prevent the pasta from sticking to each other. To take things a step further, transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and drizzle a little salad dressing. Again this step will help the pasta from sticking.
- Keep it fresh. When prepping all the lovely veggies aim for organic and fresh herbs and veggies. Fresh ingredients ALWAYS lead to great dishes! So ditch the frozen and pre-packaged ingredients.
Making the Salad Dressing
What seals this dish is the honey chipotle dressing. Must admit this dressing is inspired by Chipotle. But, before we dive into the dressing here’s a quick tip. If you like a creamy dressing, replace the honey with greek yogurt. If you find the dressing too spicy, add in a little sugar or honey.
Alright, let’s make the dressing. In a food processor or blender add in a chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, fresh lime juice, avocado oil, salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, honey, garlic gloves, and red wine vinegar. Blend well and make sure to taste it! Its highly important to taste your dressing to ensure it’s perfect and to your liking.
How long will it last?
If kept in an airtight container your fresh and delicious pasta will held in the refrigerate for 3-7 days.
Looking for more pasta recipes?
Southwestern Pasta Salad with Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Bow-tie Pasta
- 15 oz. Black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup Fresh corn
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes chopped
- ¼ cup Cilantro finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Red onion chopped
- 1 cup Bell peppers chopped
- ¼ cup Green onions diced
- ½ cup Cotija Cheese
Chipotle Honey Dressing
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 Garlic gloves
- 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 4 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ¾ cup Avocado Oil
- ⅓ cup Red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp Fresh lime juice
Instructions
Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
- In a blender, add in the following ingredients: honey, garlic gloves, salt, pepper, lime juice, red wine vinegar, avocado oil, chipotle peppers, and Mexican oregano. Blend for 30 seconds or until well combined.
Southwest Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta acoording to packaging. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Grill or boil the corn and cut off the corn kernels. (If grilling make sure to brush with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.)
- In a large bowl combine the bow-tie pasta, corn, black beans, onion, green onion, bell peppers, cilantro, cotija cheese, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle in the chipotle honey dressing. Toss together. Cover and refrigerate for one hour before serving.