Roasted poblanos, fire-roasted corn, black beans, and fresh tomatoes meet a creamy cilantro jalapeno dressing in this Southwest Pasta Salad — finished with crumbly cotija cheese and just the right amount of heat. It’s always a crowd-pleaser at summer potlucks and cookouts.
Before You Start Cooking
- Make the dressing ahead. This salad is dressed with my creamy Cilantro Jalapeño Dressing, which benefits from a little time in the fridge first. I recommend making it just before you start the rest of the recipe — or up to the day before.
- Corn. This recipe uses frozen fire-roasted corn for convenience (I use Birds Eye). When fresh corn is in season, grilled corn cut straight from the cob is a great way to take it up a notch.
- Customize the heat. As written, this pasta salad lands at a mild-medium heat level. It’s easy to dial it up or down to your preference — see the Variations section below for tips.
How To Make This Southwest Pasta Salad
Step 1: Roast the Poblano Peppers and Corn
Peppers
Roasted poblanos bring mild heat and a subtle smoky depth to the salad that you just can’t get from fresh. To roast them, lightly coat the peppers in a high-heat neutral oil — such as regular olive oil or avocado oil — then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roast the peppers at 425°F on the middle rack, turning once halfway through, until the skins are charred and blistered. This will take about 20 minutes.
While the peppers are still hot, transfer them to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let them steam for 10 to 20 minutes. This loosens the skins, making them much easier to peel.
Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel away the skins, remove the stems and seeds, and dice.
Corn
To cook the frozen fire-roasted corn, spread it out in a single layer on a baking sheet (no need to thaw first). Pop it into the oven at the same temperature as the peppers for about 8 minutes, until heated through.
Give the corn a stir around the halfway mark so all of the kernels heat evenly. Let it cool at room temperature while you prep the rest of the recipe.
(Of course, if the cooking instructions for the brand of fire-roasted corn you’re using differ significantly from this, follow those instead.)
Frozen Vegetables and Food Safety
You’ve probably noticed my recipes call for cooking frozen vegetables, even in cold dishes like salads. Why not just defrost and toss them in? Here’s why.
Freezing preserves food, but it doesn’t kill most bacteria — it only stops them from growing while frozen.
Check the label before eating frozen vegetables without cooking.
As the University of Maine Cooperative Extension explains, only frozen foods marked “ready to eat” are safe to eat straight from the package — and in my experience, most frozen vegetables at the grocery store are not labeled that way.
Although the risk is relatively low, recalls of frozen vegetables have happened. I always heat mine through and cool them before adding them to recipes that won’t be cooked further, like salads.
Step 2: Cook the Pasta
I like to use farfalle (bowties) for this salad, but any short pasta (such as fusilli, rotini, or penne) works well.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water. Because we’re rinsing and chilling it for pasta salad, I cook it a little past al dente — about 1 to 3 minutes longer than the package suggests, depending on the brand.
You want it soft but not mushy. Undercooked pasta turns gummy once it’s cold, so it’s worth erring on the side of tender here.
Once it’s done, drain it into a colander and immediately rinse with cold running water until completely cooled. Rinsing stops the cooking and washes away excess starch, which can make chilled pasta salad clumpy if left on.
Step 3: Prep the Add-Ins
While the pasta is cooking, get your add-ins ready. Here’s how to prep each one:
- Roma tomatoes. Halve them and scoop out the seeds before dicing. This keeps the salad from getting watery.
- Black beans. Drain and rinse well. Canned works great here, but home-cooked black beans are delicious too.
- Red onion. Dice it finely. If you’d like to take the edge off the raw onion without losing the crunch, soak the diced onion in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes while you prep everything else, then drain well before adding to the salad.
- Fresh jalapeño. Remove the ribs and seeds, then finely dice.
- Fresh cilantro. Chop it finely. There’s also cilantro in the dressing, so if you prefer less cilantro flavor in the salad, you can substitute flat-leaf parsley.
Step 4: Assemble the Salad
Once everything is prepped, assembling this pasta salad is quick. Add the cooked and cooled pasta to a large bowl along with the roasted poblanos, fire-roasted corn, tomatoes, black beans, red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro.
Make sure your bowl is big enough to toss everything comfortably. This recipe makes a generous amount, and you don’t want to be wrestling with it. Give everything a gentle toss to combine.
Pour the cilantro jalapeño dressing over the top and toss again until the pasta and add-ins are evenly coated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. This rest time gives the flavors a chance to come together and the pasta time to soak up some of the dressing.
Step 5: Finish the Pasta Salad
After an hour, pull the salad out of the fridge and fold in some finely grated cotija. (You’ll sprinkle more over the top when serving.) Don’t go overboard with what you mix in–too much cotija can thicken the dressing. Add it to taste and save the rest for garnishing.
Once the cotija is in, give the salad a taste and adjust from there. I usually finish with an extra pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime juice for brightness, but every batch is a little different.
Serving Southwest Pasta Salad
This Southwest Pasta Salad is best served chilled — and with all those colorful add-ins, it makes a beautiful presentation piled into a big serving bowl.
Finish with an extra sprinkle of cotija, a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, and lime wedges on the side for anyone who wants to add a little extra brightness to their plate.
As a side dish, I tend to serve this with anything off the grill — grilled chicken, shrimp, carne asada, or burgers are all good companions.
Since the dressing is made with mayonnaise and sour cream, keep the salad chilled if you’re serving it on a buffet or bringing it to an outdoor cookout. Transport it on ice, and hold off on the cotija and garnishes until you arrive for the freshest presentation.
For warm-weather entertaining, I love using a chilled or insulated serving bowl to keep things cold on the table. The On the Go Serving Bowls and Cool & Serve Bowls from Pampered Chef are my go-tos. (Not a consultant, just a happy customer!)
Variations
- Make it milder. Omit either the roasted poblano, the fresh jalapeño, or both (for a very mild pasta salad). The jalapeños in the dressing will still give the salad a gentle kick without too much heat.
- Make it spicier. Leave some or all of the ribs and seeds in the fresh jalapeño when you dice it — the more you leave in, the more heat you’ll get. You can also increase the amount of pickled jalapeños in the dressing, or reach for a hot-style jarred jalapeño if you really want to dial things up.
- Make it a meal. Fold in sliced grilled chicken breast or shrimp to turn this into a heartier main dish.
Make-Ahead Tips
This Southwest Pasta Salad is a great recipe to make ahead for entertaining — a longer rest in the fridge gives the flavors more time to develop and mingle with the pasta.
Keep these tips in mind when making it ahead:
- Make extra dressing. The pasta will continue to absorb the dressing the longer it sits. Prep a second batch of the cilantro jalapeño dressing to keep on the side, then refresh the salad before serving until it’s dressed to your liking.
- Hold the chopped cilantro. Add it about an hour before serving for the freshest flavor.
- Hold the cotija. Fold it in and garnish right before serving.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
Southwest Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cilantro jalapeño dressing (1 full recipe)
- 3 large poblano peppers
- 1 tablespoon regular olive oil , or another neutral, high-heat oil suitable for roasting
- 1 pound dried farfalle (bowtie) pasta
- 12 ounce package frozen fire roasted corn , about 2¼ cups (see Note 2)
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans , rinsed and drained (see Note 3)
- 3 roma tomatoes , seeded and diced
- 1 medium jalapeño , diced with seeds and ribs removed (see Note 4)
- ⅓ cup small diced red onion (see Note 5)
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro , plus additional for garnish
- ⅓ to ½ cup grated cotija cheese , divided
- kosher or sea salt , if needed, to taste
- freshly-squeezed lime juice , if needed, to taste
- lime wedges , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing
- Make the cilantro jalapeño dressing according to the linked recipe and refrigerate until ready to use.
Roast the Peppers and Cook the Corn
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle position.
- To roast the peppers: Lightly coat the poblanos with oil and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning once, until the skins are charred and blistered.
- Transfer the peppers to a heat-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let them steam for 10 to 20 minutes, then peel away the skins, remove the stems and seeds, and dice.
- To cook the corn: Spread the frozen corn on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, stirring once, until heated through (see Note 2). Set the corn aside to cool.
Cook and Cool the Pasta
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until soft but not mushy, about 1 to 3 minutes past al dente (depending on the brand). Drain and rinse well under cold running water until completely cooled.
Assemble and Chill
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, roasted poblanos, corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro. Toss to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the top and toss again until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour for the flavors to meld.
Finish and Serve
- Remove the salad from the fridge and fold in ¼ to ⅓ cup finely grated cotija, to taste. Taste and adjust with salt and/or a squeeze of fresh lime juice as needed.
- Serve chilled, topped with the remaining cotija, fresh cilantro, and optional lime wedges (see Note 6).
Notes
- Milder: omit the roasted poblanos and/or fresh jalapeño, depending on how mild you want it. The pickled jalapeños in the dressing will still provide some heat.
- Spicier: leave some or all of the ribs and seeds in the jalapeño when you dice it, or increase the amount or heat intensity of the pickled jalapeños in the dressing.
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
