Vegan Elote Pasta Salad
Author:Let's make Vegan Elote Pasta Salad! It's a Mexican-inspired delight featuring tender pasta, charred buttery corn, black beans, fresh jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, creamy, salty, cheese crumbles, and a lusciously thick, spicy, and tangy chipotle lime dressing. Yum!
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups (187 grams) small pasta , like mini shells, macaroni, or Ditalini.
- 2¼ teaspoons fine sea salt , divided
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil
- 3 cups (500 grams) fresh or frozen corn kernels , about 4 ears.
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 x 15oz can (1¾ cup) black beans , (a 398ml can in Canada, 400g in UK).
- 1 bunch (very big handful) cilantro , finely chopped (reserve some for garnish).
- ½ medium red onion , diced finely
- ½ a medium jalapeno , minced, seeds & ribs removed (reserve the other ½ for garnish).
- OPTIONAL vegan Cotija or feta cheese , to garnish (get my feta recipe here)
For the dressing
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegan mayo
- ½ cup (120 ml) natural dairy-free yogurt , (must be unsweetened & unflavored & not coconut).
- 2 to 3 canned chipotles in adobo sauce , adjust to suit your heat tolerance
- 1 lime , zest & juice.
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- a drop of water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pan of water to boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons salt and cook the pasta as per the directions on the packet but for 1 minute less than it says. Check and it should be just tender with some bite. Drain through a colander immediately and run under cold water to cool quickly. Set aside.
- Cook the corn - While the pasta is cooking set a skillet (cast iron is good if you have one) over medium-high heat. Add the butter or oil, then the corn kernels. Sprinkle over ¼ teaspoon black pepper and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook stirring frequently until the corn is nicely golden and charred in places. This will happen more quickly with fresh corn than frozen but should only take 5 to 10 mins max. Once it's a little charred add the garlic and allow to cook for another minute then take off the heat and set aside.
- Make the dressing. To a blender add the mayo, yogurt, chipotles, zest and juice of a lime, cumin, salt, and pepper. Adjust the chipotles to suit your taste. 3 makes the flavor/heat quite punchy so perhaps start with 2 then have a taste. Remember it will get diluted with all of the pasta, corn and beans, so a little punchier than you're comfortable with would be perfect. On a low speed blend until smooth. It's important not to let this heat up in your blender. Check the texture. It should be thick but pourable. The texture will vary a bit depending on the brand of mayo and yogurt you use. If it's too thick add a tablespoon or two of cold water and pulse to combine. Set aside.
- Make the salad. To a large salad bowl add the cooked pasta, corn, black beans, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno. Pour over a generous amount of dressing (you might not need it all) and toss to coat.
- Garnish the salad with some fresh jalapeno (sliced or diced), vegan Cotija or feta cheese, and cilantro.
NOTES
Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Refresh it with some leftover dressing before serving. If you don't have any leftover dressing you can add a little bit of mayo or yogurt and a drop of water to moisten it up.
Don't add the cilantro if making the salad ahead of time. Stir through just before serving.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1283mg | Potassium: 395mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
