Avocado Pasta Salad with Tomatoes & Corn

Need a summery pasta salad? This avocado pasta salad with tomatoes and corn is an simple, 30-minute recipe. Perfect for all of your summer BBQs, picnics, and family dinners!

We LOVE pasta all year round, and summertime calls for cold pasta salads.

Filipino Macaroni Salad, Tuna Pasta Salad, and this BLT Pasta Salad are all on regular summer rotation.

But if you're looking for a tasty vegetarian option, this Avocado Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Corn is an amazing one to try!

Recipe ingredients

You'll need:

Pasta – We use farfalle (bowtie) pasta, but you can also use any other smaller shaped pasta that holds sauce well. Try orecchiette, rotini, penne, or wagon wheel pasta. This recipe doesn't work as well with long pasta shapes, like spaghetti or linguine. It also doesn't work as well with pastas that are much smaller, like ditalini or small elbow macaroni.
Avocado – We use 2 medium-sized Haas avocados for the sauce. Depending on the size of your avocados, you may find you need 1 more to create a rich sauce.
Tomatoes – use cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, sliced in half.
Corn– use fresh cooked corn cut off the cob, or thawed frozen corn.
cilantro – This adds a bright zest to the dish! You can use parsley instead if you prefer.
Garlic – The recipe calls for one clove, which you don't need to mince by hand since the food processor or blender will do the work for you. If you love garlic like We do, feel free to add a little bit more.
Olive oil– use the best extrta-virgin olive oil you have, since the flavor will be evident in the sauce.
Lime juice – the acidity helps keep the avocado in the sauce fresh, and adds a nice brightness to the dish.
Kosher salt and pepper – We've provided a general measurement that We use for most of the pasta salads. You can always add more if you prefer.

How to make this pasta salad

Making this summery pasta salad is as simple as 1-2-3!

Step 1 – Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Step 2 – While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. To a blender or food processor, add the avocados, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and garlic cloves. Process until fully well blended.

Step 3 – When the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse briefly under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl, then toss together with the sauce, halved cherry tomatoes, and corn kernels until the ingredients are well coated.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours and serve cold.

Recipe FAQs

Should We eat this pasta hot or cold?

This recipe works well either way! We prefer to serve it cold, which makes it a great make-ahead pasta dish. We would only eat it as a hot pasta dish immediately after it's made; We would not reheat this dish later, as the sauce is truly made for a cold pasta salad and won't reheat the same way.

What other vegetables can We use?

Other veggies that work deliciously with this pasta salad include broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash.

Can We use a different pasta shape?

Absolutely. Farfalle lends itself to pasta salads, but other shapes that work well include wagon wheels, orecchiette, rotini, ziti, penne. Use a smaller shape that holds the sauce well.

Tools & Equipment

To make this pasta salad recipe, you'll need:

Pot to cook the pasta
Blender or Food Processor to make the sauce
Cutting board
Knife

More summer recipes

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Avocado Pasta Salad with Tomato and Corn

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 6 A 30-minute summery pasta salad that can be served as a main course or an appetizer!

Ingredients

12 ounces farfalle (bowtie) pasta
2 avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1½ cups corn
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. To a blender or food processor, add the avocados, 1 tablespoon of cilantro, plus the lime juice, olive oil, and garlic cloves. Process until fully well blended.
When the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse briefly under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl, then toss together with the sauce, halved cherry tomatoes, and corn kernels until the ingredients are well coated. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of cilantro over the dish and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours and serve cold.

Notes

Storage tips: you can store this cold pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After a couple of days, you may notice the avocado start to change color. You can always add chunks of new avocado to the dish before serving if you wish. You may also want to add a tablespoon of olive oil to "wake up" the sauce after it's been in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Sauce tips: depending on the size of your avocados, and how much fresh fruit is available to use in each one, you may want to add one more avocado to create a nice rich sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 433 kcal, Carbohydrates: 60 g, Protein: 11 g, Fat: 18 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12 g, Sodium: 211 mg, Potassium: 716 mg, Fiber: 8 g, Sugar: 6 g, Vitamin A: 596 IU, Vitamin C: 28 mg, Calcium: 33 mg, Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.