Mexican Pasta Salad is fresh, colorful, and tossed in the best chili-lime dressing—it’s everything you could want in a pasta salad!
Author’s Notes
Fresh, Fast, Flavor-Packed—Mayo Who?
Pasta salads are on repeat all summer at my house—they’re quick, no oven needed, and everyone’s always happy to see one.
Most are on the heavier side (which I do love—hi Macaroni Salad), but this one’s lighter while still being packed with flavor.
The chili-lime dressing is fresh, while being a little spicy, and coats every bite of pasta, beans, and veggies perfectly. It’s certainly the kind of pasta salad you keep going back for—and honestly, one of the best ones I’ve ever had!
Mexican Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta: Use 3 cups—not the whole box. Salt the water well!
- Corn: Grilled fresh corn adds great flavor. Frozen fire-roasted also works.
- Veggies: Start by chopping everything evenly so that each bite tastes the same.
- Cilantro: Not a fan? Swap it for parsley instead or leave it out.
- Tomatoes: Quick hack—sandwich them between two plates and slice through with a serrated knife.
How To Make Mexican Pasta Salad (Tips)
- Pick small pasta: Mini shapes with ridges hold the dressing best.
- Salt the water: Be generous—this is when you flavor the pasta.
- Add flavor to pasta: Toss warm pasta with a little dressing to enhance flavor.
- Toss often: Dressing can settle—stir before serving and add more if needed.
- Make it a meal: Add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak for a full dinner.
Storage
Make Ahead & Leftovers
- Prep ahead: Store salad, dressing, and avocado separately.
- Leftovers: Only dress what you’ll eat the same day—doesn’t store well once mixed.
Featured Comment
This was soooo good! The dressing is perfect with all the other ingredients. Thank you for a new addition to my top 10 list! 🙂
– Julie
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
Mexican Pasta Salad
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups mini bowtie pasta measured when dry
- 1 cup corn fresh or frozen
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup diced bell peppers use assorted peppers or 1 bell pepper
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro about 1/3 a bunch
- 1 ripe avocado chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 to 3 limes
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Dressing: Juice limes to get 5 tablespoons. Add everything to a jar, seal, and shake well.
- Bring 12 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, then stir in the pasta (only 3 cups!). Cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water for 20 seconds. Shake off any excess water.
- Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add about 1/3 of the dressing and toss to coat. Chill in the fridge until fully cooled.
- Prep the corn:Fresh corn: Grill for smoky flavor (see note 1).Frozen corn: Thaw at room temp or sauté in 2 tsp olive oil over high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly charred. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, mix cooled pasta, cooled corn, black beans, peppers, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Add avocado only to the portion you’ll eat right away.
- Gradually add more dressing to the salad (to taste), tossing to combine, and reserve some to refresh the salad later if needed.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love all of your quick meals, Chelsea! They are easy to make ahead of time and bring to work for lunch.
Would love to invite you to share your food photos with us over at Food Foto Gallery . com – There’s no complicated approval process like the big guys. Any photos related to food (that are not watermarked) are accepted & get posted automatically. We also share our daily faves on social media, giving exposure to food bloggers when we can. Let me know if you have any questions and hope to see you at the site 🙂
This salad is gorgeous Chelsea! I love how bright and pretty your salads all look not to mention super yummy! Aaw, so nice that despite the long line, Grey was able to giggle and smile so much and that the man was nice and smiled back 🙂
Ok, this is definitely happening in my kitchen…SOON! That looks so good, thanks for another stellar recipe 🙂
Beautiful looking salad! I love all the colors and am such a fan of southwest flavors, I can definitely see myself bringing this to a BBQ in the near future!
This pasta salad! It looks so phenomenal!
This sounds really yummy… I love the flavors in the dressing. A nice change from the typical Italian dressing or mayo pasta salad!
Once again, your dishes are full of colour! Love them. The spicy dressing looks great!
You stole my heart at “30 minutes,” Chelsea! This pasta salad looks fantastic and is a great take-along for a BBQ!
Just a sideline after i noticed the posts about lime issues…. I used Italia brand lime juice from the squeezy container and it didn’t hurt the recipe at all.
This is my kind of pasta – great flavors & textures.
THANK YOU so much for sharing. Made a double batch because it was the meal rather than a side. NO LEFTOVERS! Did avocado & cilantro on the side (I have haters) and added diced,grilled chicken. Unanimous vote for again AND often.
So thrilled this was a hit!! Thanks so much for the comment and review Christy 🙂