Southwestern Pasta Salad with Creamy No Oil Black Bean Dressing

Name: Southwestern Pasta Salad with Creamy No Oil Black Bean Dressing
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 to 6 oz pasta, elbows, fusilli or similar shape (use gluten-free if needed); 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups cooked); 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes (or grape tomatoes); 3/4 cup sweet corn (thawed if frozen, or 1 corn on the cob); 1/2 cup chopped green or red bell pepper (or add both); 1/2 cup chopped red onion; 1/2 of hot green chile such as serrano (finely chopped); 1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro (divided); Salt and Black pepper to taste; 1/3 cup black beans (from the salad ingredients above or from another can, drained); 1/4 cup Non dairy yogurt; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp or more chipotle pepper ground or flakes; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp onion powder or flakes; 1/2 tsp ground mustard; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1/4 tsp turmeric (for color, optional); 1/2 tsp or more salt; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast; 2 tbsp pickled jalapeno (or use chopped jalapeno + 1/2 tsp vinegar); 1 to 2 Tbsp lime juice to taste

Pasta salad with black beans and corn in a wooden bowl.

This fabulous salad is perfect as a side for all your summer bbq plans and for the Burgers! The best part? You can swap in whatever veggies you like. The creaminess of the dressing comes from beans instead of oil making this recipe whole food plant based (WFPB). It tastes best with crunchy red onions and a good load of cilantro.

Large wooden bowl with ingredients for southwestern salad.

One of the things I love about this recipe is how fast and easy to make! If you are in a pinch for a delicious side dish with dinner tonight, or just really want a cool and refreshing salad, this one does the trick. In less than 30 minutes, you can have a delicious pasta salad!

Why You’ll Love this Southwestern Salad

It’s so easy to make!
Very versatile: you can change the veggies according to preference.
It’s refreshing and bursting with flavor and texture: spicy, tangy, creamy, and crunchy.

More Sides for Your Next BBQ

Ingredients

macaroni elbows pasta – any short pasta will work with this recipe
black beans – you can cook them yourself or used canned and drained black beans
veggies: tomatoes, corn, green or red bell pepper, red onion, green chile, cilantro. Add color, flavor, and texture. Feel free to improvise and use the veggies you have on hand.
ground chipotle pepper – adds a spiciness to the creamy dressing. If you can’t find it at your local grocery, you can substitute with any other chili powder.
nutritional yeast- add a “cheesy” flavor to the dressing. If you don’t like or can’t find it, you can omit it.
pickled jalapeño- sold in cans in the Mexican section of the grocery store. Adjust the quantity in the recipe according to your spice tolerance.

💡Tips

Char your corn on the stove using a direct flame to add a smokiness to your salad.
Add avocado cubes to the salad for extra creaminess.
If the red onion is too sharp, soak the chopped onion in water for 15 minutes, drain then use in salad.
Serve at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator and then serve.

How to Make Southwestern Salad

Cook the pasta according to instructions. To make the dressing, blend the black beans and non dairy yogurt with the rest of the ingredients. Add a few tablespoons water if needed. Blend until smooth and keep aside.

Beans, yogurt, nutritional yeast, and lime being added to the blender.

Grill the corn on the cob on a grill or over gas flame until most of the kernels have black spots. Cool for a few minutes, then shell the kernels using a knife.