Gluten Free Southwest Pasta Salad
This vibrant pasta salad is everything you want at a summer cookout or weeknight dinner — bold, colorful, and packed with smoky Southwest flavor. Black beans, sweet corn, juicy cherry tomatoes, roasted red pepper, and a kick of jalapeño make every forkful interesting, and the zesty lime-cumin dressing ties it all together beautifully. The key to nailing a gluten-free pasta salad is rinsing the cooked pasta under cold water until it's completely cool, which stops the cooking and keeps the texture from turning gummy or mushy — a step this recipe doesn't skip. Once everything is tossed and chilled, the pasta soaks up that smoky, citrusy dressing so the flavors deepen in the best possible way. Folding in fresh avocado right before serving keeps it bright and creamy rather than brown and sad. With six servings, it's an ideal make-ahead dish for gatherings, and the optional cotija crumble on top adds a salty, tangy finish that really elevates the whole bowl.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the salad
- 12 oz gluten free rotini or penne pasta
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen (thawed), or canned (drained)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 roasted red pepper (from a jar), drained and diced
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- 1 avocado, diced
- ¼ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the gluten free pasta according to package directions until tender with no chalky center, about 8–10 minutes. Drain through a colander, rinse under cold running water until completely cool, and shake off excess water.
- 2
While the pasta cooks, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until the dressing is uniform and slightly thickened.
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