Mexican Pasta Salad
by Katie Webster
April 18, 2024 Jump To Recipe
When pasta salad takes a metaphorical trip south of the border to Mexico, magical things happen! This Mexican Pasta Salad has corn, black beans, cilantro and chili pepper and the most delicious creamy dressing. It’s a tasty cookout side dish you’ll make all summer long!
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Mexican Pasta Salad
Chef-tested and adoringly approved by potluck goers and hungry kiddos, this 35-minute Mexican Pasta Salad recipe is a zesty take on pasta salad. We love Mexican food around here so it was only a matter of time before we tried adding lime, cilantro, chili, black beans and corn to pasta salad.
Love Mexican Salads Too? Try our Mexican Corn Salad, Mexican Bean Salad and Mexican Coleslaw next!
Ingredients
For the pasta salad dressing:
- Greek yogurt: helps keep it low in cals but nice and creamy
- Mayonnaise: For richness and to make the dressing creamy
- Lime juice: sub in a vinegar of your choice if you don’t have it (just not balsamic)
- Honey: helps balance the acidity of the dressing
- Spices: Salt, Ground cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika
For the Salad you’ll need:
- Bowtie pasta: Or another medium pasta shape like rotini or cavatapi
- Black beans: 1 can, drained and rinsed
- Fresh jalapeño pepper: minced. Remove seeds to make it less spicy
- Corn: Fresh corn cut off the cob, frozen and thawed or canned and drained all work
- Cherry tomatoes: cut in half
- Cilantro: chopped (skip it if you don’t like cilantro)
- Red onion: Finely diced, or you could use green onions
How To Make Mexican Pasta Salad
Step 1: Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water up to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it until it is al dente, according to the time specified on the package instructions. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and then rinse it with cold water. This is important because it will cool it down and also rinse away any starches that would cause the pasta to stick together.
Step 2: Make the dressing
Meanwhile, whisk the yogurt and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Add lime juice, honey and seasoning and whisk to combine.
Step 3: Chop the Vegetables and Stir it Together
Add the drained and rinsed cooked pasta along with the black beans, jalapeno, sweet corn, tomatoes, fresh cilantro and red onion. Stir everything to combine and serve immediately or chill.
Chef Katie’s Expert Tips
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It will not be as creamy so please follow our instructions below if you are planning to make this in advance for a party. If your leftover pasta salad absorbs all of the dressing, you can mix up a little extra dressing to add to it or add a couple of spoonfuls of Greek yogurt or sour cream and a glug of olive oil to make it creamy again. I usually have to add a little salt to taste because I find that the flavors are a little muted on the second day.
You could add cubes chicken breast, diced fresh avocado, shredded cheese, or chopped bell peppers. If you have leftover grilled corn, you can cut it off the cob and use it in place of the frozen corn. The charred corn adds a great smoky flavor. Or try adding crumbled cotija cheese!
I would say, on a spice scale from 1 to 10, this recipe is a 4. If you are heat sensitive, note that jalapenos can range in spiciness, you can always taste a tiny bit and see how spicy yours is before adding any. Or you can add half of the amount and stir everything together, taste the salad and add more if you want more spice. Also note in the UK some chili powders are very spicy compared to the US and these should be used only to taste. Do not use hot smoked paprika unless you want very spicy pasta salad.
What to Pair with this Mexican Pasta Salad
- Pour these Smoky Mezcal Margaritas
- Make up a batch of homemade Pico De Gallo and Guacamole and serve with chips.
- Serve with Steak Fajitas, Chicken Enchiladas or Southwest Bean Burgers for a main dish.
- Serve at a cookout with my Mango, black bean and quinoa salad and your favorite protein in my Favorite Garlic Marinade!
Make Ahead Instructions
I like this pasta salad best when it is freshly made. The texture of the dressing is best when the salad was not refrigerated. So if you want to make this recipe ahead here is how:
- Cook the pasta, rinse it with water and drizzle two teaspoons of olive oil. Store in a Ziplock bag or airtight container.
- Whisk the dressing together up to three days in advance. Store it in a jar or resealable container.
- Cut the vegetables up to four hours in advance and keep separate.
- When you are ready to serve everything, get out a big mixing bowl and stir it all together.
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Mexican Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Our 35-minute recipe for Mexican pasta salad is made with black beans, corn, cilantro, lime and creamy yogurt dressing with Mexican spice. It is a true crowd-pleaser to prepare for a summer party!
Ingredients
- 10 ounces bowtie pasta
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, preferably fat free
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 15–ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 jalapeno, minced, or to taste (optional)
- 1 cup frozen (or fresh) corn, thawed
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Whisk yogurt and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Add lime juice, honey, cumin, salt, chili powder and smoked paprika and whisk to combine.
- Add the pasta and stir to combine. Add black beans, jalapeno, corn, tomatoes, cilantro and red onion. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or chill.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions
- You can make the pasta, and rinse it with water. Then drizzle two teaspoons of olive oil or another neutral salad oil over the pasta and stir to coat it. Transfer it to a resealable container. It won’t stick together this way.
- Whisk the dressing together up to three days in advance. Store it in a jar or resealable container.
- Cut the vegetables up to four hours in advance and keep separate.
- When you are ready to serve everything, get out a big mixing bowl and stir it all together. For the prettiest presentation, then transfer it to a serving bowl so the edges of your bowl will be clean.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 187 cal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 387 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
I originally shared this recipe on May 22, 2020.
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
This is a wonderful pasta salad. Some of my favorite ingredients!
Thanks so much!
This pasta salad was outstanding. The entire family loved it!
Thank you, Cheryl! So glad that everyone enjoyed!
I love this recipe… It is bright, bold and cheerful for a summer cookout when you are looking for something different. I also like to add a few bell peppers and thick shredded cheese. This recipe is easy to make or adapt to your preference. The dressing is delicious and definitely makes the pasta salad stand out from the traditional pasta salads!!
Did not like it at all. May throw out if I can’t fix it some how.
Made this for cinco de Mayo. Used avocado rather than cilantro. Had leftovers next day .
My family just loved this recipe! I added some black olives and some cheese and it made a great lunch.
This was way too spicy for us and I didn’t use the full amount of heat. For leftovers I added some sour cream, which tamed the heat and made the salad more creamy. If I make it again, I will totally leave out the spicy paprika and use light sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt.
Hi Gayle,
It is possible you used hot smoked paprika which is a specialty item found at gourmet stores. It will be labeled “Hot” on the packaging. While it is delicious, it may have caused it to be too spicy. Typically smoked paprika is not spicy at all. If you are sensitive to heat, leave out the jalapeno or omit the seeds from the jalapeno.
Tried this today and it was delicious thank you!
I made this yummy salad exactly as the recipe directs. It makes a huge bowlful. I combined the pasta, veges and dressing in the morning in a bowl with a tight-fitting lid, then refrigerated it until serving in the late afternoon. I stirred it before adding crumbled cheese to the top. Sadly, the pasta absorbed much of the delicious dressing. Slightly disappointing but still amazing and not a bit leftover.
Ah yes! The same experience happened to me. That’s why I recommend if you’re going to make it ahead to keep the pasta and ingredients separate and stir together before serving. So glad you liked it well anyway though Sally. I also really appreciate that you took the time to come back by to rate and review. Thanks!!
This meal was so easy to make and SO well liked at our bbq that my friends now request it! Thanks Katie for all your delicious recipes!
Thank you so much for coming back by to rate and review here on the blog Kari. I am so glad you love this one. Have a great Fourth of July!
Made it without chili’s… added some pinto beans. Served as main dish with steamed cauliflower, chopped Avacado and tortilla chips. ( I liked it even better with those extra stir in’s. Older grandkids loved it… Liked how I could prep early then mix it before serving. It actually was great the next day too. Thanks
I love that! Thanks so much for letting me know you liked it Beverly!
I just love this pasta salad! The flavors are spot on. It makes a great side or even a light meal on it’s own. One of my favorites!
So glad you like it Wilhelmina! Thank you!
Such a huge crowd pleaser! My family ate the whole thing, I was disappointed there were no leftovers!
Haha I guess that’s a good problem to have! Thanks Lauren!
This looks so good! I love anything Mexican!
That makes two of us!