Southwestern Pasta Salad

I can’t get over the flavors in this Southwestern Pasta Salad. Not only is this perfect for the summertime, but it’s made with mostly pantry ingredients and so simple to make! The southwestern sauce is creamy and has a little kick to it that’s delicious in this pasta salad. Make this for your next cookout!

I love a good pasta salad in the summer time and this Southwestern Pasta Salad is a favorite! Not only is it so simple to make, but it uses mainly pantry ingredients. If you want to meal prep this pasta salad to have for lunch during the week, it is great to store in the fridge for easy access for 3-4 days. I like to use chickpea pasta to add a little extra protein to this dish, but you can also add grilled chicken to it too!

Love the southwestern flavors as much as I do? Try this Southwestern Kale Salad if you want more of a green salad!

What you need for Southwestern Pasta Salad:

• 1 box of pasta (I used a chickpea pasta here–8oz)
• Canned black beans
• Mini tomatoes
• Red onion
• Canned corn
• Cilantro
• Plain greek yogurt
• Olive oil
• Lime
• Minced garlic
• Sriracha
• Paprika Powder
• Cumin
• Chili Powder
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

Why you’ll love this Southwestern Pasta Salad:

• SO easy! I mean over half of these ingredients are using pantry ingredients that you may already have sitting around waiting to be used.
• This pasta salad is the perfect mix of creamy with a little kick to it!
• It’ll be perfect thing to bring to a cookout or outdoor party. Everyone will love you!
• The chickpea pasta makes it packed with protein and the greek yogurt and black beans are great sources of protein too. We love meals that are full of protein 🙂

I used a gluten free pasta here but you can use any type of pasta that you like. Some that I also like to use:

• Banza Chickpea Pasta
• Brown Rice & Quinoa Pasta
• Lentil Pasta
• Whole Wheat Pasta

When making the Southwestern Sauce you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or any plain greek yogurt)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 juice of lime
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• cumin
• pinch of paprika
• salt & pepper to taste

How to store your leftover pasta salad:

I recommend keeping any leftovers stored in a sealed container in the fridge! I like to use these storage containers.

If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy these on One Balanced Life:

• Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• A delicious Southwestern Chicken Salad

Looking for more recipes to prep for the week? Try these!

• Healthy Chicken Salad
• This Mediterranean Tuna Salad
• Thai Chopped Chicken Salad

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Southwestern Pasta Salad

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This Southwestern Pasta Salad is packed with flavor and makes for a delicious pasta salad for the summertime! Easy to make and filled with many pantry ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 1 8oz box of pasta
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1/2 can of corn, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or any plain greek yogurt)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 juice of lime
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp sriracha
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt (+to taste)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to make southwestern sauce. Set aside.
2. Cook box of pasta according to package.
   Cook corn on the cob if needed.
3. Prepare southwestern sauce by combining greek yogurt, sriracha, olive oil, spices and lime juice.
4. Add all the ingredients in one bowl. Pasta, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, corn, cilantro and all of the southwestern sauce.
5. Store in the fridge.
6. Enjoy!

Notes

Any 8oz pasta will work.

Be sure to drain and rinse all beans.

until next time...