Vegan Mexican Pasta Salad (oil Free & Gf)

If it's too hot to cook - then try this Vegan Mexican Pasta Salad, as the only thing you need to cook is the pasta. It's 100% vegan and oil-free.... and with the right pasta can be gluten-free too.

Mexican pasta salad, vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free

isn't mexican pasta salad already vegan?

Not always, some people like cheese or sour cream in their pasta salads. Some add chicken as well. This recipe is 100% plant-based.

Not only is it plant-based, it is completely oil-free and with the right pasta can be totally gluten-free as well.

what you'll need to make vegan mexican pasta salad

6oz of fusilli pasta (use brown rice or similar to make it GF)
1 can of black beans
1 cup of corn (fresh, frozen, or canned)
¾ cup of cherry or grape tomatoes
a few green onions
a small handful of spinach and/or cilantro
and the dressing

what you'll need to make the oil-free dressing

Many people use cashews to make their creamy vegan dressings, and while I occasionally do too, I try to avoid them as they are expensive, and there are some ethical concerns when it comes to harvesting them.

So I used sunflower seeds, water, and chipotle peppers in this recipe. Sunflower seeds are cheaper, plentiful here in the States, and give that same creaminess as cashews.

Many people substitute white beans instead to reduce the fat content even more. If you choose to try white beans, add the water a little at a time to get the consistency you like.

how to make the oil-free Chipotle dressing

You want to soak the sunflower seeds in ½ cup of water for at least 30 minutes. This softens them enough to blend.

Then you simply dump them into a blender, soaking water too, and add the remaining dressing ingredients and blend.

You can add as few or as many chipotle peppers as you want. Obviously the more you add the spicier it will become. I used 2, along with a few teaspoons of that adobo sauce and my spice-hating wife said it was really good.

Note that you will have to stop and scrape down the sides a few times to get it really creamy. If you do not have a high-power blender, soak the sunflower seeds a little longer.

how to make the vegan mexican pasta salad

Vegan Mexican Pasta Salad (oil free & gf)

Once your dressing is made, go ahead and prepare your pasta according to the package directions. I use the Jovial brand of brown rice fusilli which says to boil for 12 minutes.

Drain and rinse your pasta and add it to a large bowl. Then drain and rinse your beans (and corn if using canned corn) and just add everything else to the bowl. Fold in your dressing and let it chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

It's perfect for a summer picnic and those hot days when you simply do not want to heat up the kitchen.

If you can boil water.... you can make this recipe.

Hope you enjoy it and I'll see you next week with another Summertime Recipe. And If you like this recipe - be sure and check out my Cowboy Caviar too!