Perfect for summer cookouts.
This Avocado Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad combines pasta with grilled corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and an avocado cilantro lime dressing that’s creamy, zesty, and just the right amount of spicy from fresh jalapeño. It’s the perfect side dish for summer cookouts, but hearty enough to enjoy as a light lunch or dinner too!
Pasta Salad Summer
Pasta salads are a quintessential summer dish and I look forward to them every year. There are a million ways to toss together a pasta salad and this is one of my favorites.
I love when I can throw in beans for extra protein so I can eat it as a meal and not just as a side dish. It’s also a nice change to skip mayonnaise considering it’s in a lot of our favorite cold summer salads.
Everyone will love this take on pasta salad at your next summer gathering.
Ingredients
This is a very fresh and colorful pasta salad!
Dressing Ingredients
- avocado – adds creaminess without mayo!
- sour cream
- limes & lime juice
- honey – just a touch of sweetness
- kosher salt – I use Diamond Crystal in all my recipes
- black pepper
- garlic clove – fresh and minced
- jalapeño – seeded and deveined for less heat
- cilantro
Salad Ingredients
- orecchiette – or your favorite short cut pasta
- fresh corn – grilled for extra flavor
- cherry tomatoes
- black beans – drained and rinsed
- red onion
- cilantro
- olive oil
How to Make Avocado Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
- Grill the Corn: Grill the corn until lightly charred on all sides, then slice the kernels off the cob.
- Cook the Pasta: Boil the pasta until fully tender, then rinse under cold water to cool completely.
- Blend the Dressing: Blend the avocado, cilantro, lime, jalapeño, olive oil, sour cream, and seasonings until smooth and creamy.
- Toss Everything Together: Combine the pasta, grilled corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing until evenly coated.
- Finish and Serve: Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime before serving.
What to Serve with Avocado Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
This salad is great as a light lunch or dinner, but also makes a great summer side dish.
Serve it alongside:
- Grilled chicken
- Steak skewers
- Burgers
- Fish tacos
- Chips and guacamole
- Shrimp skewers
- Grilled flank steak
You’ll also love this easy and versatile cucumber and tomato salad!
How to Make Avocado Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad Ahead of Time
You can prep everything the day before serving. For this pasta salad I prefer to keep the dressing on the side so it doesn’t absorb it all overnight. Toss everything together about 30 minutes before serving!
Save the squeeze of fresh lime juice for right when you serve to freshen everything up.
Equipment I Use to Make Avocado Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
- Wood Salad Bowl – for serving
- Grill Pan – makes it easier to grill the corn on the stove than to fire up the grill!
- Microplane – so helpful for zesting limes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this pasta salad spicy?
The jalapeño adds a very mild heat to the dressing, if you are concerned about spice, reduce the amount of jalapeño. Removing the seeds and veins helps a lot, that’s where most of the heat is.
How long does it last in the fridge?
It’s best within 1-2 days because of the avocado in the dressing.
Can I add protein?
Yes! Grilled chicken would work great.
Print
Avocado Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 8 oz orecchiette, or short cut pasta of choice
- 2 ears of corn, husked
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- Olive oil
For the dressing:
- ¾ cup avocado, about 1 ripe avocado or 150g
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Zest of 2 limes
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, about the juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and deveined
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.
- Drizzle 2 ears of corn with olive oil and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides. Once cool enough to handle, cut the corn kernels off the cob.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, heavily salt it, and cook your pasta according to package directions until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- In a blender or food processor, combine ¾ cup avocado, ¼ cup sour cream, zest of 2 limes, 3 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 garlic clove, 1 jalapeño, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ cup cilantro. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, corn, cherry tomatoes, black beans, red onion, and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until evenly coated.
- Finish with extra lime juice. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Grilling
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