This Avocado Pasta Salad is one that'll be different than all the others on the cookout table. It's creamy, bright, packed full of (hidden) spinach, healthy pasta salad that just happens to be vegan friendly!
I love it when I'm looking for something quick and easy to make that'll also be crowd pleasing and I stumble upon a recipe like this from Natasha's Kitchen that I adapted to this Avocado Pasta Salad! It's fast to make and wonderfully different than your standard cookout side. Plus, it's packed full of nutrition without tasting like it's trying to be healthy!
Ingredients Needed
- Corn - Fresh is best, but frozen or canned would work, too.
- Grape tomatoes - or cherry, or even diced romas or whatever you have would be great.
- Garlic - Fresh minced
- Spinach - Fresh is really best for this recipe. Frozen thawed doesn't mix up for the creamy sauce as well.
- Avocados - Nice big ripe avocados
- Rotini pasta - Or your other favorite pasta salad pasta. We love rotini the best because of all of it's little nooks to catch the creamy sauce!
- (Not Pictured) Fresh Parsley, Fresh Lemon Juice, Onion Powder, Oregano, Salt- For a great herbal and bright acidic touch!
Do you see all of that spinach? That's right. Spinach. Vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, copper, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, vitamin C packed spinach. This with the good fat of fresh avocados, garlic, and some fresh lemon juice and it's a creamy, bright, super duper healthy dressing. Move over, boring old bottled Italian dressing, this is the new healthy pasta salad in town!
Are you getting the theme of this recipe? (Hint, it's FRESH). Isn't that what summer sides (ok let's be honest, all summer food), should be? Yes. Yes it should. And since it's fresh corn season, put in the little added work and make it with some fresh off the cob corn.
Other Ways to Use Summer Corn
Spaghetti Squash and Black Bean Corn Salsa
Step-by-Step Instructions
It's SO easy!
- Cook pasta.
- Put spinach, 2 avocados, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder, oregano, and salt.
- Add tomatoes and corn to pasta, mix in the avocado spinach mix and stir.
- Add the last avocados and fresh parsley and serve!
Not only is it easy, it's an incredibly healthy pasta salad!
Can you make ahead?
You can definitely make the pasta and prep all the veggies and portion everything out, but I would wait until the day of to assemble. The lemon juice will help keep the avocados from turning brown for about a day, but after that, they will start to oxidize and turn brown. The taste will still be there, but it just wont look as pretty.
My kids loved this Avocado Pasta Salad. And it was definitely one I was more than happy to give her a second helping of! The sweet fresh corn. The pop of acidity from the tomatoes. The creamy but bright dressing and just a kiss of fresh parsley? This healthy pasta salad is a summer!
Serve it With
- Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Breasts
- Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Grilled Boneless Pork Chops
- 10 Minute Spicy Grilled Shrimp
- Cornell Chicken
Throw any of those on the grill and fill some glasses with a dry, crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier and I'll be right over! 😀
FAQs
Of course! Just add it to the pasta while it cooks. See recipe notes.
Technically, yes if you have to make sure that it is thawed and very well-drained. But honestly, this recipe just isn't the same without fresh spinach.
The possibilities are endless! If it doesn't need to be vegan, then crumbled bacon or feta cheese are great options! We also love peas or chives, too.
Of course, use your favorite!
Enjoy, Friends! If you make this recipe tell me what you think! I love to hear from you on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram!
Avocado Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Rotini Pasta
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 3 large avocaods
- 1 1/2 cup cherry, grape (or a mix!) tomatoes, halved
- 2 large ears fresh corn, boiled (or grilled) and kernels removed from cob approximately 2 cups or 12 oz
- 2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 1/4 cup lemon juice approx. 2 lemons fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
- Cook pasta by boiling in approximately 4 cups of water for 7-10 minutes until done. Run pasta under cold water, drain, and then add to a large mixing bowl. Add tomatoes and corn to pasta and mix.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, add 3 avocados, 1/2 spinach, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder, oregano, and salt. Blend and then add the rest of the spinach and continue to blend until creamy.
- Add tomatoes and corn to pasta and mix. Add creamy avocado spinach mixture, mix well. Taste and add more salt to taste. Dice the final avocado and add to pasta with parsley. Mix well and serve. Or make ahead up to 3-4 hours and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
So good and so different! The family loved it!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is my kinda pasta salad! Delish!
This sounds damn good, Tracy! I love how fresh and simple the ingredients are, and because I'm a total sucker for creamy pasta salads, I love how this one lets me indulge sans guilt. Avocados are magical. This could easily become a new summer fave!
Magical, indeed!! 😀
How many servings does this make?
Hi Hannah,
About 6! Enjoy!
What a great way to get additional spinach in your dish. The pasta salad looks beautiful and we do love our avocados. I'm making out my grocery list now and will be picking up the ingredients to make this. I can almost taste the delicious creamy dressing now.
That's great, thank you Marisa!
I love the hidden spinach in this! Such a creative way to get more greens in a diet. How long does this last usually? I've found in the past, the avocado changes colour in a day or so 🙁
Hi Carmy! Yes, unfortunately about a day later the color does change to that unfortunate brown color... the taste though is still good! You can always add a touch more lemon juice before you wrap it up to help give it a little more green a little longer, but otherwise this is one that doesn't hold up it's bright vibrant color for too long. All the more reason to bring it to a party so there are no leftovers 😉
What a gorgeous pasta salad! I love that you've made such a luscious, creamy dressing without any dairy! What a fantastic salad to make after a trip to the farmer's market. Corn season is at its peak here, so I've been looking for new recipes so we can enjoy it as much as possible while it lasts. This will definitely be on the menu during the week!
Thanks, Amanda!!
Now this is the epitome of summer in a bowl. I absolutely love avocado and love finding new uses for it especially when I can hide veggies in it too! I can’t wait to make this and dine al fresco!
Hooray for summer freshness and al fresco dining!! 😀
I am a sucker of pasta salad. I grew up on it too!! I love that you added avocado and spinach. into it. I think this is the only way I would be able to get my son to eat spinach. I'm seriously always sneaking greens into meals because it's the only way to get it into my kids mouth.
You do what you've gotta to do get those greens in! 😉
I'm really intrigued by the dressing for this salad -- love the avocado and "hidden" spinach. Is this the type of salad that you have to eat as soon as its made or will it last for a few days? I'm asking because of the avocado -- and I know there's lemon in the dressing which would delay oxidation, but was just curious how long it would last without browning -- cause this would be an excellent lunch for my husband to take to work all week.
Hi Lisa,
Unfortunately, it does brown the 2nd day. It can be made a few hrs in advance and covered with wrap and the juice will keep it nice and green, but the next day it'll be brown. It still tastes delicious, but it doesn't look as pretty as the day it's made. My husband still took it for work for a few days though 🙂
I do agree...this will not be a duplicate at any party. I LOVE avocado, in fact we are having some in our dinner tonight. I will for sure make this for a BBQ party this summer. We all love avocado...and combined with pasta....so good.
Bringing the same salad / dish to a BBQ is like wearing the same dress, isn't it? ;P Hope you enjoy it!
That avocado dressing sounds amazing. Can't wait to try.
I hope you do!