Southwestern Pasta Salad Recipe
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
8 minutes
Servings:
6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 3 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 10 scallions
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • ¾ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 3 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of water with 2 teaspoons of salt added to a boil.
  2. Add the fusilli and cook until al dente, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vinaigrette by adding ¼ cup of olive oil, lime juice, garlic, Dijon, chipotle powder, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, black pepper, and the remaining teaspoon of salt, to a small bowl.
  4. Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside.
  5. Strain the pasta and add it to a large bowl.
  6. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pasta and stir. This will ensure that pasta doesn't stick together. Set the pasta aside to cool.
  7. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters.
  8. Finely dice the scallions.
  9. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves, discarding the stems.
  10. Add the corn, black beans, tomatoes, scallions, cotija, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds to the pasta.
  11. Add the vinaigrette to the pasta.
  12. Toss to combine the ingredients.
  13. Serve the salad at room temperature or chill for a few hours in the refrigerator.