20-Minute Mexican Pasta Salad
I love a 20-minute recipe, and this simple black bean pasta salad is perfect! It's made with al dente fusilli, fresh arugula, sweet corn, black beans, fresh cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and a tangy, zesty yogurt lime dressing.
This black bean pasta is filling, light, tangy, and protein-packed with black beans, and I love pairing it with crispy breaded chicken or my favorite Peruvian grilled chicken.
Why I Love This Black Bean Pasta Salad
Ingredient List and Substitution
Pasta
- Fusilli Pasta – or rotini pasta for a slightly larger pasta.
- Purified Water – enough to fill a pot
- Salt – for salty pasta water
Ingredients For The Dressing
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fresh Lime Juice – if you're out of limes, use lemon juice. (optional)
- Greek Yogurt
- Garlic – finely minced
- Roasted Cumin Powder (optional)
- Black Pepper – to taste
- Salt – to taste
Black Beans & Corn Combination
- Canned Black Beans
- Canned Sweet Corn – or fresh corn
- Cherry Tomatoes—Grape tomatoes are also a great option. Have you seen brands called flavor bombs or sugar bombs? They're super sweet, full of flavor, and perfect for this recipe.
- Wild Arugula
- Fresh Cilantro
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Microplane
- Pasta Drainer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
- Paring Knife
- Wooden Cutting Board
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare
- Fill a large pot with water and enough salt until it's heavily salted, place it on the stove, and set it to boil.
- Drain, and pour the canned black beans and sweet corn into a mixing bowl.
- Clean, rinse, and slice the tomatoes in half, and to the mixing bowl
- Clean, rinse the fresh arugula, and set aside.
- Chop the fresh cilantro and add to the mixing bowl.
Pasta
- Add the pasta to the boiling water.
- Boil the pasta until it’s al dente, roughly 9-11 minutes, or as indicated on the box instructions.
- Drain well and allow to cool.
- Once the pasta is well-drained and slightly cooled off, place the pasta in the refrigerator and cool until you're ready to make the pasta salad.
Cumin Lime Yogurt Dressing
- Combine the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, finely minced garlic, finely chopped onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl or large measuring cup and whisk.
- Then add greek yogurt and whisk.
- Place the dressing in the refrigerator until ready to toss the salad.
Final Steps
- Place the cooled pasta in the large mixing bowl and lightly toss all of the ingredients with tongs.
- Top with fresh cilantro – optional, freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Variations
I love experimenting with this pasta salad! Swap out the black beans for red kidney beans, chickpeas, or lentils for a fun twist. You can also add grilled chicken, seared salmon, or even sazon-spiced miso salmon for some extra protein.
Storage
How to Store It Best
Keep your shrimp pesto pasta salad fresh by storing it in an airtight glass container. The cooked shrimp will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
What To Serve With Black Bean Pasta Salad with Yogurt Vinaigrette
I love this pasta salad with a side of air fryer chicken thighs, a side of crunchy plantain chips, or air-fried yuca fries.
Looking for other recipes?
Try some of my favorites:
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Super Crispy Pollo Empanizado (Breaded Chicken)
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment or rate it. I would love to hear from you and try my best to respond to all comments.
20-Minute Simple Black Bean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Fill a large pot with water and enough salt until it’s heavily salted, place it on the stove, and set it to boil.
- Drain, and pour the canned black beans and sweet corn into a mixing bowl.
- Clean, rinse, and slice the tomatoes in half, and to the mixing bow
- Clean, rinse the fresh arugula, and set aside.
- Chop the fresh cilantro and add to the mixing bowl.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water.
- Cook the pasta until it’s al dente, roughly 9-11 minutes, or as indicated on the box instructions.
- Drain well and allow to cool.
- Once the pasta is well-drained and slightly cooled off, place the pasta in the refrigerator and cool until you’re ready to make the pasta salad. Roughly 5 minutes.
- Combine the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, finely minced garlic, finely chopped onion, salt, and pepper in a bowl or large measuring cup and whisk.
- Then add greek yogurt and whisk.
- Place the dressing in the refrigerator until ready to toss the salad.
- Place the cooled pasta in the large mixing bowl and lightly toss all ingredients with tongs, then add the dressing and mix well.
- Top with fresh cilantro – optional, freshly grated parmesan cheese.
