Elevate your pasta salad game with this vibrant and refreshing Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad. Combine tender pasta with a zesty lime dressing, fresh cilantro, and a medley of crisp vegetables. You'll find yourself using this amazing "green goddess" dressing on much more than just this salad (think cilantro lime alfredo)!
If you're as big a fan of these flavors as I am, I highly recommend trying my one-pan Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice recipe! If looking for another pasta salad, try my popular Pasta Salad with Kidney Beans.
Ingredients
- Rotelle Pasta, or other medium-sized pasta
- Corn Kernels
- Red Onion
- Celery
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Bell Pepper
- Fresh Avocado
- Olive oil
- Fresh Cilantro
- Greek Yogurt
- Tajin Seasoning
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Start by cooking your favorite pasta until al dente. Drain, and let cool, at least until room temperature.
Chop up the celery, onion, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Add them to the cooled pasta with the corn kernels.
- Combine the bunch of cilantro with freshly squeezed lime juice and olive oil in the jar of a blender.
Blend the cilantro, olive oil and lime juice until smooth.
Add the avocado and the Greek yogurt to the blender jar with the seasoning.
Blend the dressing until smooth. Depending on the thickness of your Greek yogurt, you might want to adjust the consistency of the dressing by adding a little bit of water to the dressing.
Start by pouring ¾ of the Cilantro Lime dressing into the pasta salad folding it in to cover all the ingredients. Use the rest of the dressing if desired, or keep in an airtight container to use as a dip or in a sandwich!
Substitutions
Use up any of your favorite salad ingredients to really make it your own!
- Gluten Free - Use gluten free pasta or swap the pasta out completely with your favorite blend or greens, or even chickpeas!
- Veggies - Pasta salads are perfect to use up lots of veg! Replace the celery with diced cucumber, or even zucchini!
Storage
Make this Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad ahead of time and store it in a bowl with a lid, or cover it with plastic wrap. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Refrain from placing in the freezer, as the fresh veggies will not thaw out well.
Recipe
Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 200 grams Uncooked Medium Pasta Rotelle, Penne, Fusilli, Bowtie etc.
- 1 cup Corn Kernels fresh, from frozen, or canned
- ¼ cup Red Onion finely chopped
- 1 large Bell Pepper diced
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes halved
- ¾ cup Celery thinly sliced
- 1 large Avocado cubed
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 1 bunch Cilantro (with stems) cleaned and dried
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 pieces Fresh Lime juiced
- ½ teaspoon Tajin Seasoning or ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 large Avocado
- ½ cup Greek Yogurt
Instructions
Assemble the Salad
- Start by cooking the pasta until al dente, or as indicated on the package. Drain the paste and let it cool in a large bowl.
- Once the pasta is (at least) at room temperature, place the prepared corn, onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, cubed avocado, and celery, on top of the pasta.
Prepare the Dressing
- Place the cleaned cilantro bunch, with all the stems, in the jar of a blender. Add the juice of the 3 limes, and the olive oil, to the blender with the cilantro.
- Blend the cilantro mixture to a pulp. Open up the blender jar and add the Greek yogurt and the avocado. Return to the blender and blend until creamy and smooth.
- Assemble the salad by pouring ¾ of the prepared dressing over the salad bowl. Mix until all the ingredients are covered in the dressing.
- Add more dressing if desired, or keep in an airtight container and refrigerate. This dressing is amazing to use in sandwiches or as a dip with veggies.
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