Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad

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You’re going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that’s loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!

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Close up of colorful Mexican Pasta Salad with text overlay that says "vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad".
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Why I love this recipe

Everything is better with pasta, right? Since we all know the answer is a resounding yes, let’s combine it with another favorite meal option: tacos.

This Vegetarian Mexican Inspired Salad is smothered in a delicious creamy lime dressing while hearty, protein-packed veggies make it a proper, fuss-free meal. It’s the perfect Tex-Mex inspired meal, side, and/or anything in between! 

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RELATED: Healthy Southwest Chopped Salad – loaded with fresh veggies and a hearty drizzle of a creamy homemade Southwest Ranch dressing that your whole family will love! Enjoy it as a side to Chili Lime Chicken Kabobs with Veggies, or add chicken to the salad to make it a hearty meal.

White bowl with Mexican Pasta Salad in iton a wood cutting board with colourful orange and yellow napkin beside it.

Ingredients for this Mexican inspired salad recipe

With 12 basic ingredients and spices that you likely have available in your pantry, this hearty salad comes together quickly and easily. To make this you’ll need:

Overhead photo of taco pasta salad ingredients: pasta, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, black beans, red onion, orange pepper, and jalapenos.

For the past a salad you’ll need

  • Rotini pasta – or use any kind of pasta that you like.
  • Black beans
  • Corn
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Avocados
  • Yellow bell pepper
  • Diced red onion
  • Chopped cilantro

For the creamy lime salad dressing you’ll need the following ingredients and spices

  • Sour cream
  • Honey
  • Lime (or lime juice)
  • White wine vinegar
  • Chili powder
  • Ground cumin
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Be sure to check out the full ingredient list and printable recipe in the recipe card below.

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Salad making essentials

in my Amazon Storefront
Alligator Vegetable Chopper | Manual Hand Food Chopper with Container | Perfect Onion Chopper and Salad Chopper | Effortlessly Chop, Dice & Slice Vegetables | 3 Stainless Steel Blades Included

ALLIGATOR CHOPPER

Zulay Kitchen Professional Cheese Grater Stainless Steel - Durable Rust-Proof Metal Lemon Zester Grater With Handle - Flat Handheld Grater For Cheese, Chocolate, Spices, And More - Black

Cheese grater

Cuisinart Large Salad Spinner- Wash, Spin & Dry Salad Greens, Fruits & Vegetables, 5qt, CTG-00-SAS

SALAD SPINNER

Zulay Kitchen Metal 2-in-1 Lemon Squeezer - Sturdy Max Extraction Hand Juicer Lemon Squeezer Gets Every Last Drop - Easy to Clean Manual Citrus Juicer - Easy-Use Lemon Juicer Squeezer - Yellow/Green

LEMON SQUEEZER

KITEISCAT Extra Large Elegant Ceramic Oval Salad Bowl Set with Premium Acacia Wood Salad Serving Utensils - Large Capacity, Stylish and Practical, Kitchen Must-Have

ELEGANT SALAD BOWL

Regular Mouth Mason Jars 16 oz - (4 Pack) - Ball Regular Mouth Pint 16-Ounces Mason Jars With Airtight lids and Bands - For Canning, Fermenting, Pickling, Freezing, Storage + M.E.M Rubber Jar Opener

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How to make this Mexican Pasta Salad

After you’ve cut up all of the veggies, this salad comes together nicely in four easy steps:

Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 4 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!
Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 3 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!
Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 5 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!
Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 8 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!
Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 13 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!
Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 14 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!
Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 15 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!
  1. In a large bowl, toss the ingredients for the pasta salad.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing. 
  3. Pour the salad dressing over the salad and toss until well coated.
  4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make this Mexican Pasta Salad, then check out my Spicy Lime Black Bean Quinoa Salad, Instant Pot White Chicken Chili and Healthy Southwest Chopped Salad and more of my recipes for Cinco de Mayo.  

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Fork with a big bite of delicious mexican pasta salad onit and a blurry bowl of pasta salad in the background.

Tips & Substitutions

Read on for tips and substitution ideas on how to make this recipe, and how to make it taste even more fresh and flavourful.

Substitutions

This salad is very flexible! Here are some substitution ideas:

  • Plain greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream.
  • Add cooked chicken or taco beef if desired.
  • For more crunch, crush 1 cup of tortilla chips or Doritos and top just before serving. 
  • To make this salad vegan, use vegan sour cream and either omit the cheese or use vegan cheese instead.

Tips for a fresh and flavourful Mexican Pasta Salad

To add more flavour to this salad you could substitute grilled corn instead of canned or frozen corn. Also, for your pasta salad to taste fresh and flavourful dress it with about two-thirds of the dressing, and mix everything together. Then refrigerate the salad for at least two hours to allow all of the flavors to meld. Then just before serving, stir in the remaining dressing, since so much of the original dressing gets absorbed into the pasta while chilling. The result is a pasta salad that boasts flavour through and through!

How to store Mexican pasta salad

Generally salads last for only 3-4 days in the fridge, and this pasta salad is no different. Store this Mexican pasta salad in a sealed airtight container in the fridge. If you know you’re not going to finish the entire bowl in one sitting, let everyone get as much as they want and place the bowl into the refrigerator as this salad tastes best cold. You can always get more from the fridge for second helpings.

Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 21 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!

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Other Mexican inspired recipes to try

  • Instant Pot White Chicken Chili – Easy, creamy and absolutely delicious, this White Chicken Chili Recipe is cooked quickly in your instant pot!
  • One Pot Spanish Rice with Ground Beef Casserole – made with ground beef for a main dish meal, this dish is ready in less than 30 minutes!
  • Healthy Southwest Chopped Salad – this salad is loaded with fresh veggies and a hearty drizzle of a creamy homemade Southwest Ranch dressing that your whole family will love!
  • Homemade Low Sodium Taco Seasoning Mix – Whether you’re a seasoned chef or just looking to spice up your weeknight dinners, this low sodium taco seasoning mix recipe is perfect for everyone, especially if you’re watching your salt intake. If you love to control the ingredients in your dishes, this one’s a game-changer. 

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Square close up of a mexican pasta salad in a white bowl with black beans, cilantro, avocado, tomato, and corn.

Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a fresh and delicious summer side salad!

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 1 (16 ounce) box rotini pasta, cooked according to the package directions and rinsed in cold water
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 avocados, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

For the dressing

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, toss the ingredients for the pasta salad.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing. 
  3. Pour the salad dressing over the salad and toss until well coated.
  4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


If you loved this Mexican Pasta Salad be sure to check out my Chopped Southwestern Salad.

Notes

For tips, substitutions, storage and serving info be sure to read the full Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad post.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 442Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 320mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 10gSugar: 8gProtein: 15g

The provided nutrition information is an estimate and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below or snap a pic and hashtag it #Salads4Lunch — I'd love to see all of your tasty creations on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

© Janice - Salads for Lunch
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Vegetarian
Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 1 1 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!

Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad 23 - You're going to love this Vegetarian Mexican Pasta Salad! Tender pasta is combined with Mexican-inspired flavors that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and a creamy lime dressing for a perfect summer time salad, great for barbecues, picnics, grilled meats or fish and more!

Hello there! I'm Janice and I LOVE salads!! I’m also passionate about cooking EASY, healthy meals. Join me as I share and my family friendly recipes!

Janice Smith, B. Sc. Spec Honours (Kin), ATTH

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