Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad - a fresh flavour packed pasta salad loaded with black beans, cannellini beans, sweetcorn, bell peppers, red onion and pickled jalapeños, all tossed in a delicious zesty dressing. It is colourful, filling and perfect for BBQs, potlucks, meal prep or easy summer lunches.
If you love cowboy caviar, turning it into a pasta salad is such a delicious twist. The combination of crunchy vegetables, creamy beans and tangy pickled jalapeños adds so much flavour and texture, while the pasta makes it even more satisfying as a meal. It is one of those recipes that tastes even better after sitting for a little while, making it perfect for making ahead and keeping in the fridge ready to enjoy.
Calories in Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad
This recipe serves 5 and is 365 calories per serving.
If you're looking for more recipes by calories, you'll find plenty of options grouped by calorie range here: Slimming Eats Low Calorie Recipes
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Cavatappi Pasta: The spiral shape is perfect for pasta salads as it holds onto the dressing really well and mixes beautifully with all the vegetables and beans.
- Red and Green Bell Peppers: Add plenty of colour, sweetness and crunch to the pasta salad.
- Sweetcorn: Adds little bursts of sweetness that work perfectly with the beans and tangy dressing.
- Red Onion: Adds a little sharpness and crunch that helps balance all the other flavours.
- Black Beans: Add protein, fibre and a hearty texture that makes the salad more filling.
- Cannellini Beans: Add a creamy texture and work really well alongside the black beans.
- Pickled Jalapeños: Add a tangy kick of heat and plenty of flavour throughout the salad.
- Spring Onions: Add freshness and a mild onion flavour.
- Fresh Coriander (Cilantro): Adds a fresh vibrant flavour that works perfectly with the Mexican inspired ingredients.
For the Dressing
- Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar and Lime Juice: Create a fresh tangy dressing that ties all the flavours together.
- Paprika, Cumin, Chilli Powder, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: Add warmth, smokiness and plenty of Mexican inspired flavour to the dressing.
- Maple Syrup: Adds just a touch of sweetness to balance the acidity and spice.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Important for seasoning and bringing all the flavours together.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
This Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad is really easy to adapt depending on what you have on hand and what flavours you enjoy most.
- Rotini, fusilli, penne or macaroni all work well instead of cavatappi pasta.
- Kidney beans or pinto beans can be used instead of black beans or cannellini beans.
- Add diced avocado just before serving for extra creaminess.
- Cherry tomatoes add extra freshness and colour.
- Swap the pickled jalapeños for fresh jalapeños if you prefer a fresher heat.
- Cheddar cheese is a great addition and works really well with the Mexican inspired flavours. Feta, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or a Mexican cheese blend are all delicious alternatives.
- Grilled chicken, shrimp or steak can be added to turn it into a more substantial meal.
- Fresh parsley can be used instead of coriander if preferred.
- Add diced cucumber for extra crunch and freshness.
- A little hot sauce can be added to the dressing if you like extra heat.
- Honey can be used instead of maple syrup if preferred.
- For a creamier version, stir through a little Greek yoghurt, sour cream or a light mayo based dressing.
How to Store
Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. In fact, the flavours often become even better after a few hours once the dressing has had time to soak into the pasta and vegetables.
If making ahead, give everything a good stir before serving as some of the dressing may settle at the bottom of the container. If adding avocado, it is best added just before serving for the freshest texture and colour.
More Salad Recipes
If you love salad recipes, there are lots of other recipes to try on Slimming Eats:
See more Salad Recipes →
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Recipe Card
Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad
Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad - a fresh flavour packed pasta salad loaded with beans, sweetcorn, crunchy vegetables and pickled jalapeños, all tossed in a zesty homemade dressing.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 400g of cooked pasta (I used cavatappi)
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup (180g) of canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup (160g) of canned corn, drained
- 1 cup (180g) of canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup (50g) of pickled jalapenos, diced
- 4 spring onion, sliced
- small bunch of cilantro, chopped
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 teaspoon of mild chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss together until evenly combined.
- In a small bowl or jug, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together until evenly coated.
- Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Gluten Free Friendly - use gluten free pasta
- Dairy Free Friendly
- Vegetarian Friendly
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