Southwest Pasta Salad

Roasted poblanos, fire-roasted corn, black beans, and fresh tomatoes tossed in a creamy cilantro jalapeño dressing — finished with crumbly cotija cheese. Perfect for summer potlucks and cookouts.

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Resting Time1

Total Time2 20

Course: Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Latin

Keyword: quick, spicy, summer, vegetarian

Servings: to 12+ (see Note 1)

Author: Amanda Biddle

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

1. Serving Size. This recipe makes 13 to 14 cups of pasta salad. As a side dish, plan on ¾ to 1 cup per person, depending on how many other sides you're serving. As a light main, plan on 1½ cups per person; for a heartier serving, 2 cups.

The nutrition estimate was calculated based on a 1-cup serving.

2. Frozen Corn and Food Safety. Frozen vegetables are not always ready to eat straight from the bag. See the food safety note in the blog post above for more on why I cook frozen corn before adding it to cold recipes rather than simply thawing it. If the package cooking instructions are significantly different from what I've called for here, follow those instead. If you prefer, you can grill fresh corn and cut it off the cob.

3. Black Beans. Canned black beans work great here for convenience. If you'd like to cook dried black beans yourself, you'll need about 1½ cups of cooked beans.

4. Heat Level. This pasta salad is medium-mild on the heat scale.

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.

5. Red Onion. Optional step: if you want to take the edge off the raw onion without losing the crunch, soak the diced onion in ice water for 5 to 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients, then drain well before adding it to the salad.

6. Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Prepping this pasta salad ahead for a party? See the Make Ahead section in the blog post above for tips.

Nutrition

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