Vegetarian Cold Taco Pasta Salad

You’re going to love this taco pasta salad recipe! It’s a cold pasta salad made with nutritious taco-inspired ingredients (corn, black beans, cilantro, avocado – yum)! Toss everything in a creamy homemade taco salad dressing. This crowd-pleaser vegetarian recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less. Perfect for summer cookouts!

Cold pasta salads are always in mealtime rotation at our house during the spring and summer months. As a Registered Dietitian, I love mixing in tons of nutritious ingredients like vegetables, beans, fresh herbs, and homemade salad dressings.

This taco pasta salad without meat highlights some favorite taco ingredients, including avocado, corn, black beans, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and a creamy Greek yogurt-based homemade taco salad dressing.

Just like my viral Greek tortellini pasta salad, roasted vegetable pasta salad, tri-color pasta salad, and caprese orzo pasta salad, this recipe is simple to make and ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes. It’s a perfect addition to any BBQ or cookout spread! It will serve 8 people as a side dish.

Ingredients in taco pasta salad

Everything you need to make this recipe, below:

• Rotini pasta: Rotini is a spiral shaped pasta that is one of the best pasta shapes for pasta salad. It holds on to dressing very well! To make gluten free pasta salad, you can use legume-based pasta or your favorite gluten free pasta.
• Black beans: Canned black beans are perfect for this recipe.
• Corn: You can use canned or frozen corn for convenience! Feel free to substitute fresh corn when available and in season.
• Shredded cheese: I used a Mexican cheese blend, which includes cheddar, monterey jack, queso blanco, and asadero cheeses. You could also use grated cotija cheese in this recipe!
• Cherry or grape tomatoes: When shopping for cherry or grape tomatoes, look for firm and shiny tomatoes without wrinkles or bruises.
• Avocado: You’ll want to use avocados that are just starting to ripen in this recipe, so they are a little on the firmer side and not mushy. This ensures the chunks of avocado hold their shape when tossed up in the salad.
• Cilantro: Keep cilantro fresh for weeks by storing it like a bouquet of flowers! Place the stems in a jar of water and store in the fridge.
• Scallions: You can store scallions the same way as cilantro to keep them fresh for longer. Store the white roots in a jar of water in the fridge.
• Homemade taco pasta salad dressing
  • Plain Greek yogurt: The creamy base of this dressing is plain Greek yogurt, which adds lots of nutrients including calcium and high quality protein.
  • Salsa: Use your favorite jarred salsa in mild, medium, or spicy depending on how much heat you like.
  • Lime juice
  • Salt
  • Chili powder: Use store bought, or give homemade chili powder a go!
  • Garlic powder

Kitchen tools needed

You’ll need a large pot for cooking the pasta, a good chef’s knife, cutting board, measuring cups, and a small blender to blend the dressing together. I used a NutriBullet blender and it worked well.

How to make taco pasta salad

Storage

Since this is a cold pasta salad, it will keep well in the fridge! Store it in an airtight container or tupperware and enjoy within three days.

The avocado may brown if you don’t eat this pasta salad right away. It’s still totally fine to eat, but if presentation is important, I recommend making this recipe right before you intend to serve it.

Serving suggestions

This taco pasta salad has a little bit of everything – protein from black beans, veggies, healthy fats from avocado, and carbs from pasta and corn. It’s an excellent option for a healthy cookout side dish!

It’s a perfect side dish for a summertime spread – some of my favorites are salmon burgers, fresh tuna burgers, and grilled tofu!

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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