Pasta is one of our favorite dishes. It’s an easy way to just throw a bunch of veggies into a pan, and get a yummy warm meal into our bellies after skiing or work. But when it comes to summer, pasta is no longer our go-to. Especially hot and rich pasta dishes like marinara and cream sauces.

But here comes summer and the season for pasta salads. It’s a more refreshing way to enjoy this carb-filled meal that is much needed after long days of playing outside.

And while hot pastas are usually limited to Italian flavors,  we also get to add in our favorite twists… and this week, it’s southwest. Bright summery flavors of corn and tomatoes, as well as the protein packed black beans and good fats of avocados.

Not only is this recipe a nutrition-packed meal, it’s also a colorful menagerie of textures.

The veggies are a great way to add color to your dinner, and then the pasta adds some substance.

Plus, unless you cook the beans from scratch, the only thing you really need to cook is the noodles. Because we were really hungry, we didn’t wait for the pasta to cool in the fridge. Instead, we rinsed the noodles under cool water to speed up the process.

The cherry on top is the dressing. We bought a vegan citrus chipotle dressing to add some saucy heat. It really pulled together all the flavors, while also making sure to keep it a southwest flavor.

Description: Plant-Based Southwest Summer Plant- Based Salad

Diet: Plant- Based, Vegan, Nut-Free

Ways to make low-waste: buy fresh, bulk  veggies, buy dressing in glass bottle, buy bulk pasta

Recipes makes: 8 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30  minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 of an  avocado

1 3.8 oz can of sliced olives

1/2 cup of cilantro

2 Roma tomatoes

1 ear of corn

2 stalks of green onions

5 sweet piquillo peppers

1 cup of black beans

4 cups of pasta noodles

1/2 cup lime chipotle dressing

Optional: nutritional yeast

How-To:

Place noodles in boiling water, and cook until soft.

Cut corn off the cob and fry in pan on medium heat

Dice tomatoes, slice green onions, and finely chop cilantro

Once noodles have been cooked and cooled, combine all ingredients in a large bowl

Garnish with sliced avocado and drizzle dressing over salad

Mix, and top with nutritional yeast.

 

Your part-time plant eater and year-round pasta lover,

Nic