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Avocado Pasta Salad

Avocado pasta salad with creamy avocado dressing coats penne or rotini for a smooth, green finish. Fresh cherry tomatoes, corn, red onion, and cilantro add crunch, with a 1-hour chill for best flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 540
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Penne or rotini pasta
  • 1 lb penne or rotini pasta
Avocados
  • 2 avocados ripe
Lime juice
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
Olive oil
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
Garlic
  • 2 clove garlic minced
Cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
Corn kernels
  • 1 cup corn kernels
Red onion
  • 0.5 cup red onion diced
Cilantro
  • 0.25 cup cilantro chopped
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

Cook the pasta
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the penne or rotini according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and keep the pasta from sticking.
Make the avocado-lime dressing
  1. In a blender, blend the ripe avocados, lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. Pause and scrape down as needed so the dressing is fully emulsified.
Toss and chill
  1. Combine the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, and diced red onion in a large bowl. Add the avocado dressing and toss to coat evenly so every bite looks green.
  2. Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for up to 1 hour. The avocado may brown if stored longer, so keep it within the hour for the freshest color.
Serve
  1. Top with chopped cilantro right before serving. Plate and serve chilled for a fresh, bright finish.

Notes

For the smoothest creamy avocado coating, blend until fully uniform before tossing with pasta. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour for best color; freezing is not recommended because avocado texture can turn watery. For a dairy-free option, this recipe is already dairy-free; if you want less fat, use 3 tbsp olive oil instead of 1/4 cup and add an extra 1–2 tbsp lime juice for tang.