Southwestern Avocado Zucchini Pasta Salad

Southwestern Avocado Zucchini Pasta Salad

This zucchini pasta salad is crunchy and packed with Southwest flavors from the cilantro lime avocado dressing, jalapenos, black beans, tomatoes, corn, and scallions. It's gluten-free, creamy, and perfect for your next summer BBQ gathering!

Southwestern Avocado Zucchini Pasta Salad

Summer is just around the corner, which means we’ll all need some easy cold pasta salad recipes, right? Pasta salads are the easiest dishes to bring to BBQs or put out when entertaining guests. They pair well with grilled meats, seafoods, and veggies! And now, they’re a tasty way to squeeze in more vegetables into your day! Or, if you’re gluten-free, a tasty way to still enjoy a pasta salad!

By slicing the zucchinis halfway through lengthwise before spiralizing, you can spiralize your veggie into macaroni shaped slices, perfect for pasta salads!

Southwestern Avocado Zucchini Pasta Salad

I love creamy avocado dressings, because they’re not only a dairy-free way to enjoy creamy dressings, but they’re packed with healthy fats and have a beautiful green color. I make them all summer long. However, they don’t save well (because of oxidization, the zucchini browns very quickly!), so if you’re making this salad in advance for meal prep or for a party, assemble the dressing as the last step and toss right before serving for best results!

Having said that, because there’s lime juice in this dressing, it does save well in the refrigerator for 1 day without browning (in my experience), so you can definitely prep it in advance for a big party or bring leftovers to lunch the next day.

Southwestern Avocado Zucchini Pasta Salad

Black beans give this salad a protein kick, but serve this up with your favorite protein as a main dish or enjoy it as a lunch salad! It can be a side dish or a main course, depending on how you serve it.

Watch our video to learn how to spiralize a zucchini using the Inspiralizer and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:

 

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Southwestern Avocado Zucchini Pasta Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • juice from 2 limes
  • 1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted, and halved
  • ¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 15.5 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed
  • 4 scallions thinly sliced
  • 2 medium zucchinis
  • 1 large jalapeno thinly sliced

Instructions

  • In a food processor, blend together the olive oil, lime juice, ½ of the avocado, cilantro, salt, pepper and ¼ cup of water until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust with more salt, if needed.
  • Transfer the avocado dressing to the bottom of a large bowl and set aside.
  • Slice the zucchinis halfway through lengthwise, careful not to pierce through the center. Spiralize on Blade C. Add the zucchini to the bowl with the dressing, along with the black beans, cherry tomatoes, and half of the scallions.
  • Serve the salad topped with remaining scallions, avocado, and jalapenos.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/southwestern-pasta-salad

Southwestern Avocado Zucchini Pasta Salad

with love, Ali

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comments

  • ANY SUGGESTIONS WHAT TO ADD INSTEAD OF CORN? HUBBY DOES NOT LIKE CORN. REALLY DO NOT WANT TO ADD MORE BEANS, IS THERE ANOTHER VEGGIE YOU WOLD SUGGEST?
  • Wow! I just made this and it's delicious, refreshing and creamy. I wound up putting the entire avocado into the dressing since my limes were on the large side and generously juicy. I also didn't have corn so left it out and it was still good, but I'm sure it would be even better with the corn. Yum. Thanks, Ali, for another great recipe!
    • Wow Margaret so happy to hear!