by This totally dairy-free southwest pasta salad uses canned black beans, my creamy tahini chipotle sauce and tons of crunchy veggies for a quick and easy crowd-pleasing pasta salad recipe that takes less than 20 minutes to whip up!
Friends, when I first tested this vegan southwest pasta salad recipe, my husband couldn’t stop eating it straight from the bowl, so if you’re skeptical of a vegan taco pasta salad, I totally get it, but it MIGHT just be your new favorite recipe!
As a Registered Dietitian, my goal is to make all of my easy salad recipes super balanced with protein, fiber, fat and veggies, and this vegan southwest pasta salad is no different! We’ve got protein and fiber from the black beans, tons of veggies and healthy fats from the tahini dressing!
Much like my 30-Minute Healthy Black Bean Sweet Potato Skillet, we use black beans and corn straight from the can for the easiest meal that requires basically no effort to make!
The result is a super creamy, flavorful pasta salad with a perfect balance of smoky, tangy, and slightly spicy southwest flavors. It’s loaded with hearty black beans, sweet corn, crunchy veggies, and a creamy taco-inspired dressing that makes this the kind of meal you’ll want to eat straight from the bowl, just like my husband!
The creamy chipotle dressing does alllllll the legwork!
Now, most creamy pasta salads use either a mayo or yogurt based dressing, but my southwest pasta salad uses a tahini-based dressing instead to make it totally dairy-free!
The important thing here is that we use a runny tahini. If your tahini is too thick, or you’re using what’s at the bottom of the jar, you’re going to have to use more liquid to thin it out.
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Chances are you’re gonna have some leftover Chipotle Tahini Sauce after making this recipe, so I highly recommend using it in my 25-Minute Black Bean Rice Bowls for the easiest weeknight dinner!
One pot and 20 minutes is all you need!
The best part of this vegan pasta salad? It seriously comes together in less than 20 minutes, meaning you’ll have an easy dinner or packable lunch whipped up in no time!
Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad with Corn and Black Beans
Ingredients
- 500 g pasta
- 1 540 ml can of black beans
- 1 340 ml can corn, or 1.5 cups of frozen corn, thawed
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 batches 5-Minute Chipotle Tahini Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
Instructions
- Cook pasta as per package instructions.
- Meanwhile, make a double batch of the 5-Minute Vegan Chipotle Tahini Sauce.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the drained and rinsed black beans, corn, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onino and cilantro. Pour the chipotle sauce over top, starting with 1/4 cup and adding more as needed. Mix well and enjoy!
