Mexican Pasta Salad

Looking for a zesty, easy-to-make cold pasta salad that’s perfect for your next gathering or side dish to family dinner? This Mexican Pasta Salad features delicious ingredients and flavors; brought together with a creamy avocado dressing and avocado chunks, and crumbled queso fresco. 

I love serving this pasta salad with my Honey Lime & Cilantro Marinated Grilled Chicken. It’s the perfect summertime meal, or anytime for dinner.

Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe (Cold Pasta Salad)

I don’t think you can ever have too many varieties of pasta salad. I absolutely love all the flavors and textures in this Mexican Pasta Salad recipe. Loaded with tender bowtie pasta, corn, tomatoes, black beans, jalapeño, cilantro, queso fresco, and then smothered in avocado dressing. 

It’s really so delicious and hearty enough to eat on it’s own, or serve it alongside any grilled meat for dinner. 

Because it uses prepared, store-bought avocado salad dressing it comes together really quickly after some chopping and boiling the pasta. 

Ingredients Needed

• Bowtie Pasta – 12 ounces is what this recipe calls for, or 3 cups dry bowtie pasta. 
• Black Beans -Drained & rinsed really well. We don’t want any extra liquid/moisture in this pasta salad. 
• Yellow Corn – Again, make sure that the corn is drained really well. 
• Grape Tomatoes – These need to be halved before adding them into the salad. 
• Jalapeno
• Finely Diced Red Onion
• Chopped Cilantro
• Avocado Salad Dressing – I use the Bolthouse brand cilantro avocado dressing. You can find it in the refrigerated section in the produce section at the store. You can use any brand or variety if avocado or cilantro dressing that you want. There is also an avocado ranch variety in the salad dressing aisle (non-refrigerated salad dressing aisle). 
• Avocados
• Queso Fresco – The ‘secret’ ingredient. Provides so much flavor and it’s really my favorite part. You will find this cheese by the other cheese varieties. It’s very common and you should have no problem finding it at any grocery store. This easily crumbles with your hands. Sometimes you can find it already crumbled or it comes in a block. 

Step-by-Step Directions For How To Make a Pasta Salad with Black Beans, Avocado, Corn, & Tomatoes

Learn how to make a cold pasta salad with Mexican flavors with the easy-to-follow steps. Be sure and read to the bottom of the page where there is a detailed recipe card, a printable option, and a pin it button. 

• Bowtie Pasta : Cook the pasta according to the package directions. I prefer a softer pasta for my pasta salad so I always cook it past the al dente time listed. If you prefer a firmer, al dente pasta then cook it for a shorter time according to the box directions. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it in a colder, and then run it under cold water for 1 minute to cool it down and stop the cooking process. This also washes of any starchiness which is necessary when making a pasta salad. 
• Make The Mexican Pasta Salad : Combine the cooked & cooled pasta, beans, corn, halved grape tomatoes, jalapeños, red onion, and chopped cilantro into a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. 
• Dressing : Add the avocado dressing and sit to combine well. 
• Fridge Time : You can either serve the salad right away OR cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours before serving. I don’t recommend refrigerating it overnight as the pasta salad will dry out. 
• Serve : When ready to serve, crumble the queso fresco on top of the salad. If the salad was refrigerate at all, you will probably want to add some additional dressing to moisten it all back up again. 

Pasta Salad FAQ’s

• Can I Use a Different Shaped Pasta?

  • Yes! Any small shaped pasta such as elbow pasta, medium shell pasta, rotini pasta, or penne pasta are all great substitutes for the bowtie pasta. 

• Can I Make Changes To This Recipe?

  • This pasta salad recipe is quite versatile and can easily be adapted to suit your personal tastes or dietary preferences. Here are some potential changes you could successfully make.
    • Protein – Add some grilled chicken, grilled steak, shrimp or even tofu. I love how hearty the salad is without protein, so I always make it as written and serve it alongside some grilled meat. 
    • Beans – Use any variety of bean you prefer. White beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans are all great substitutes. 
    • Vegetables – Swap out any of the vegetables with ones you prefer. Bell peppers are a great replacement, or addition to what is already in the salad, along with zucchini or cucumber. 
    • Dressing – If you prefer a different type of dressing, you can swap out the avocado dressing for a different one such as a vinaigrette, homemade ranch dressing, or any flavor/variety of salad dressing you love. 
    • Cheese – The queso fresco can be substituted with feta cheese, cotija cheese, or any cheese variety you like. If using a cheese that does not crumble (anything other than queso fresco, cotija, or feta) then cut it into really small chunks. 
    • Spice Level – If you prefer a spicier salad then try adding some hot sauce in with the dressing. Add more jalapeño pepper or try using a hotter pepper (like habanero or Serrano). Leave the seeds and membrane on the jalapeños for more spice. 
    • Gluten-Free – To make this salad gluten-free simply use gluten-free pasta and make sure that the dressing you are using is gluten-free as well. 
    • No Spice – For no spice level or heat, use a chopped bell pepper (any color) instead of a jalapeño. 

• How To Store Leftovers

  • Store any leftovers inside an airtight container, or cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. 
  • It’s recommend that if you know there will be leftovers that you don’t add all the avocado chunks. Rather, add them as needed. The avocados will not store well in the fridge for the 3 days. 
  • Make sure to add some additional salad dressing to the pasta salad, to moisten back up the salad, before eating them. Give it a good stir to combine everything again too. 

• Serving Suggestions

  • This pasta salad can be served right away after making it. You can also serve it chilled from the fridge. I prefer refrigerating the salad for 1-4 hours before serving it. This allows time for the flavors to develop and for the salad to get cold. 
  • If needed, simply add some additional dressing before serving it. 
  • I don’t recommend refrigerating this pasta salad longer than 4 hours before serving. It does not do well overnight in the fridge, before serving, because the pasta will dry out and the avocado will brown. 

Recipe Tips

Here are a few of my helpful tips so that you can have success recreating it in your own kitchen ♥

• Jalapeños : I do recommend using them in this salad. If you want the salad with very mild spice then take out the seeds and white membrane from the jalapeño. If you want the spice and heat level, simply leave them in. If you prefer no spice at all then omit the jalapeños entirely from the salad. I love the flavor they add and the very mild heat. Even my kids will eat this and never even know that they’re in there. 
• Drain & Rinse Pasta : For pasta salad recipes it’s important that you drain the cooked pasta and then run it under cold water to wash off the starch, stop the cooking, and to cool down the pasta. You definitely don’t ever want to add warm pasta to a cold pasta salad. 
• Drain Cans Really Well : Make sure that you drain and rinse the black beans and corn really well before adding them into the mixing bowl. Let them drain after rinsing them off. I’ll sometimes even take a paper towel and dab the corn and beans to soak up any extra moisture on them. 

More Cold Pasta Salads You’ll Love

• Ranch Pasta Salad – So easy with ranch dressing, tri color rotini noodles, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Parmesan cheese adds a delicious twist. 
• Tri Color Pasta Salad – Loaded with all the good stuff, including mini mozzarella balls!
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad – For pickle lovers only!
• Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad – The best combo of flavors packed into a pasta salad. 
• Poppyseed Chicken Pasta Salad – My personal favorite with store-bought poppyseed dressing, chicken, and juicy grapes. 
• Coleslaw Pasta Salad – A bag of coleslaw is the ‘secret’ ingredient to this salad. 
• Pesto Pasta Salad – Prepared pesto + Caesar salad dressing is a delicious match.