Description
Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad is a vibrant and easy pasta salad recipe bursting with Tex-Mex flavor, featuring rotini pasta, black beans, corn, and creamy avocado in a zesty lime dressing. Perfect for summer cookouts, meal prep, or potlucks.
Ingredients
1 pound rotini pasta
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels (fresh, canned, or grilled)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 avocado, diced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, finely diced
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Dice the red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and avocado. Finely chop the cilantro and jalapeño. Rinse and drain the black beans and corn.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper to create the dressing.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, beans, veggies, and herbs. Drizzle with dressing and gently toss until well coated.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. Add a bit more lime juice or olive oil if needed when serving.
Notes
Make sure to cook the pasta al dente so it holds up well after chilling.
Add avocado just before serving to keep it from browning.
This salad tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-bake / Chilled
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 370mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 49g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 0mg