Southwest Pasta Salad

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients

The sauce :

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced

2 tablespoons cilantro, minced

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon dried chives

¼ teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ lime, juiced

The pasta

1 (12-ounce) box tri-color rotini pasta

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 ½ cups frozen fire-roasted corn, thawed

1 large red/orange/yellow bell pepper, diced

½ medium red onion, diced

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1 large avocado, diced

⅓ cup cilantro, chopped

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

¼ cup sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotle peppers, minced cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, chives, parsley, oregano, and lime juice. Set aside.

Cook the rotini according to the package instructions. Then, drain, rinse with cold water, and allow to dry for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, black beans, corn, bell pepper, red onion, grape tomatoes, avocado, and chopped cilantro.

Pour in the chipotle dressing, and stir to fully coat the salad ingredients.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and place in the refrigerator, and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Garnish with sliced scallions.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 251 g
• Calories: 414
• Total Fat: 18 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 9 mg
• Sodium: 583 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 54 g
• Dietary Fiber: 9 g
• Total Sugars: 5 g
• Protein: 11 g