Summertime Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Jalapeño Pesto
This healthy pasta salad features bold summer flavors, including tomatoes, corn and black beans tossed in spicy, fresh pesto! It's a great vegetarian side dish for potlucks and barbecues. See paragraph above for variations and substitution suggestions! Recipe yields about 8 cups salad, which is e...
Foto: Cookie and Kate — Cookie and Kate
Ingredients
- ½ pound whole grain bow-tie pasta or rotini or penne
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (10 ounces), sliced into thin rounds
- 1 ear fresh corn, shucked (about ½ cup fresh corn kernels)
- ½ to ¾ cup crumbled feta or diced avocado
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh parsley
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro or basil
- 1 to 2 medium jalapeños, roughly chopped (remove seeds and membranes for less heat), optional
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or slivered almonds
- ½ cup olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Steps
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Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve about a cup of cooking water. Drain and return to pot. Set aside.
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Toast the pepitas in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are making little popping noises and turning lightly golden on the edges. Set aside to cool a bit.
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To make the pesto, combine the herbs, jalapeño, lemon, garlic and salt in a food processor. Pour in the pepitas. Pulse a few times and then run the machine while drizzling in the olive oil until the mixture is well blended, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
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Pour enough pesto into the pasta to lightly coat it once tossed (you might not quite need all of it). Add a small splash of pasta cooking water and toss well. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl and add the drained black beans, sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh corn and feta or avocado. Stir until combined. This salad tastes best after it’s had a chance to marinate for about 30 minutes, but you can serve it right away if need be.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Macronutrients
*DV = Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet
💰 Cost Estimate
📋 Price Breakdown (7% ingredients detected)
| Ingredient | Amount | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ pound whole grain bow-tie pasta or rotini or penne | - | - | - |
| 1 can | - | - | |
| pint cherry tomatoes | 1 | Rp 12.000/kg | Rp 1.200 |
| ear fresh corn | 1 | - | - |
| ½ to ¾ cup crumbled feta or diced avocado | - | - | - |
| lightly packed fresh parsley | 1 cup | - | - |
| lightly packed fresh cilantro or basil | 1 cup | - | - |
| to 2 medium jalapeños | 1 | - | - |
| lemon | 1 medium | - | - |
| garlic clove | 1 medium | - | - |
| ½ teaspoon salt | - | - | - |
| ½ cup pepitas | - | - | - |
| ½ cup olive oil | - | - | - |
| Freshly ground black pepper | - | - | - |
*Estimated market prices, may vary by region
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