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Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad. If you’re going to eat a salad today, it should probably be this salad. It’s the perfect quick fix salad that’s almost no cook and comes together in minutes. Grab your favorite pasta, fresh cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, basil, cheddar cheese, and an avocado…toss it all together, and done. It’s summery, healthy, and so good!
The saying around the Gerard household is that simple is the best, and the more recipes I create, the more I really realize this. Sure, I also love a recipe that takes more time to make, and you know I love spending time baking up my favorite layer cakes, but when it comes to everyday cooking, I’m all about simple.
I spent some time talking to my aunt and uncle this past weekend and they were telling me how they love good food…but simple food. High quality ingredients that just taste really good. As I was talking to them something kind of clicked in my head and it made me realize that as long as you have really good ingredients, you can make a simple, delicious recipe. A recipe doesn’t have to have a whole bunch of ingredients or be hard to make. It just needs fresh quality ingredients.
That’s kind of this salad. It’s probably one of the simpler recipes I have on HBH, and quite honestly, I should probably be saving it for Super Simple Thursday, but this pasta salad just felt like a fun way to kick the week off. Like I said above, if you’re going to eat salad today, why not make it of the pasta filled kind, you know?
With August here, the summer produce is at its peak. This makes cooking with fresh ingredients easier than any other time of year.
Enter in this fresh corn, tomato, and avocado salad. It’s summer in a bowl. It’s also so delicious, pretty healthy (try using brown rice or lentil pasta to make it even healthier), and highlights all of summer’s best in season produce.
OK. Details. Details.
To start, find your favorite short cut pasta. I used an organic variety from Costco that I love using for pasta salads, but use your personal favorite. To give this salad even more of a health boost, use brown rice pasta, whole grain, or even a lentil pasta. All would be really great in this salad!
As mentioned, this is a QUICK and almost no cook recipe. While the pasta is boiling (the only cooking you will do), prep all the remaining ingredients. For the fresh corn, you have a few options. I personally like to leave the corn raw and toss it up with the hot pasta. The heat from the pasta will warm the corn, but still leaves it with a nice bite, which I love. If you’re not a fan of raw corn, you can used grilled corn or toss the corn in with the boiling pasta water for a few minutes until it is cooked.
The rest of the salad is a mix of cherry tomatoes, herbs, avocado, and cheddar cheese. Good summer flavors.
Here’s the key to this pasta. As soon as you drain the pasta, toss it with the herbs and cheddar cheese while the pasta is still steaming. Hot pasta equals melty cheese, which equals extra delicious pasta. Trust me on this. I know this may not be the usual way to make a pasta salad, but guys, it’s good!
Once you’ve tossed the pasta, add the remaining ingredients and serve. You can eat this warm or at room temperature, but me being the hot food lover that I am, I like this best while it is still a little warm.
Also, this is great recipe for back to school lunches or bring to work lunches. The pasta holds up really well in the fridge and would be great to make on a Sunday for the week ahead. Just add the avocado the day of, so that it doesn’t get brown.
It’s kind of as quick and easy as that. What I love most about this pasta recipe is that it really does use some of summer’s best ingredients. So if you have a surplus of fresh corn, cherry tomatoes, and basil lying around, this is the recipe to make.
OH, and I have to mention, if you have any other herbs on hand besides the basil, say thyme and or oregano, throw them in too, they would be awesome in this. Use what you have or what you love! It’s always important to adapt recipes to your taste!
If you make this corn, tomato, and avocado pasta salad, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this pasta, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 752 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, manchego, or pecorino cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- 1 pinch crushed red peppers flakes
- 1 pinch (each) kosher salt and pepper
- 4 ears grilled or steamed corn, kernels removed from the cobb
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain.2. Meanwhile, add the basil, olive oil, cheddar, parmesan, lemon juice, chives, and a pinch each of crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to a large serving bowl. Add the hot pasta and toss vigorously to combine. 3. Add the corn, and tomatoes, tossing to combine. Top the pasta with avocado. Season with freshly cracked pepper and salt.
My whole family loves your recipes (we especially love your instagram!). My brother-in-law whipped this up a few days ago and my boyfriend and I were obsessed. So easy yet so tasty! I already picked up corn and tomatoes to make this again today! Thank you for your cooking & baking inspiration!
Wow that is really great! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Fiona! xTieghan
Can you make this ahead of time or should it be served warm? I am worried if I make it before and let it sit that it would become dry?
Hi Caitlin,
I like to serve this warm but it is also great at room temp. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This dish was awesome. It’s delicious and takes less than half an hour to make – and makes a lot! It’s so nice and summery, this is totally going to be my go-to cookout dish (when we can go to cookouts again…). I also had no idea you could eat corn without cooking it first, and I really liked the sweet burst of flavor it gave!
Thank you so much! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So delicious! Tastes like summer!
Yes that is the best! Thank you Krista! xTieghan
Refreshing and absolutely delicious! Thank you for helping me use my summer garden produce, keep up the great work HBH!
Aw I love that you are able to use it! Thank you so much Bee! xTieghan
I am wondering why you would add the basil in before the hot pasta where the hot pasta would discolor and “cook” the basil you’re saying to add before hand. It’s good, but nothing special and the darkened, wilted pasta is a shame. Totally bummed.
HI Avi! I love adding the basil to the hot pasta. The heat from the pasta activates the flavors of the basil, infusing the pasta with delicious basil flavor throughout. Of course, if you prefer, you can add the basil once the pasta has cooled off. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I enjoy recipe suggestions like the one for this pasta salad. I mean there is a base and then you can add all different kinds of ingredients with what you have on hand or what’s in season. My family loved the corn and fresh cherry tomatoes. I had a boatload of fresh basil on the front porch I had to use. Corn and tomatoes are at their peak in August. I added a teaspoonful of dijon mustard to the vinegarette to make it a little creamier and added a little more salt. I’m already thinking about a version with black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro with a squirt of sriracha. Or maybe a French tuna pasta salad with chopped cornichons, finely diced red onion and capers with a lemon/mayo/thyme based dressing for my bridge ladies?
I know Aiden’s comment is a year old, but ouch! Recipes are as much literal as inspirational. I’m frequently inspired unless I want to learn a new technique and then it’s literal. Hmmm – like the idea? Do something to make it your own.
Tieghan, I love your blog and the way you write. You’re friendly and unpretentious. When I need a pick-me-up, I visit with you to enjoy your beautiful photography, your stories, and your great recipes. Good job, kiddo. Keep up your excellent work. I’m building up the courage and slimming my waistline (HA!) to try your Canadian poutine. 😉
Hi Linda! You are too sweet and I am sure anyway you decide to make this would turn out amazing! Let me know how they go! xTieghan
This was amazing! Took me a little longer to make than indicated but well worth it!
Susan
Thank you so much Susan! xTieghan
I made this twice in the past week! Perfect summer salad with fresh veggies. As someone who is not a big cheese fan, this pasta struck the balance of just the right amount of cheese. This will be a go-to recipe for years because of all the variations.
Thank you so much Mary! I am so glad you have been loving this recipe! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan! I love following you on Instagram. All of your recipes are amazing! THANK YOU! I am considering making this salad for a pool party this weekend. Thinking of cooking the pasta ahead of time and then mixing everything in once I get to the party. Does the corn have to be fresh or can you use frozen (i.e. Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn)? Thanks again!
Hey Claudia! You can actually toss the entire salad together the day before, just add the avocado right before you serve. This is the perfect make ahead pasta salad! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you for all you kind words!! ! xTieghan
I loved this!! Healthy fresh and super easy. I made it with leftovers from the weekend and added chicken
Thank you so much Leslie! xTieghan
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I hadn’t thought of adding corn to a pasta salad and it turned out to be a really delicious addition. It was easy to put together and just what I needed after a very busy day.
Amazing! Thank you so much Janice! xTieghan
May this for the 4th and it was a huge hit! It was super easy and quick to pull together. New summer favorite!
YES! Thank you Lori! xTieghan
Made this for 4th of July, it was a huge hit! Love that there’s no mayo. The corn adds a good crunch!
Thank you Lauren! xTieghan
Simple but excellent recipe! I double the amount of cheese, because cheese.
Can’t argue with that haha! I hope you love this recipe, Monique! xTieghan