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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!
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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
HI Teighan!! Can i prep this the night before and add corn tomatoes and avo when we are serving?
Hi Tamara! Yes, you can absolutely prep this the night before and add the veggies right before so they are nice and fresh! 🙂 xT
I gave this recipe to my Husband to make and it was Fabulous! He grows basil but I personally think it to strong ! But I astr it and Loved it ! Thank you
Hey Teri,
Yay!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have a great week! xT
I made this in the summer and took it camping and it’s INCREDIBLE. Not sure if there’s already make-ahead directions, but I’d probably wait to finish putting it together at the location next time, as it got a teeny bit watery. But the flavors were sooooo well balanced and so good.
Thanks a lot, Emily!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for your comment! Xx
This is *insanely good*. LOVE. Thank you for creating! Tip: I always add avocado to my portion. When I serve it, instead of to the big bowl of pasta salad as a whole – keeps it from going brown when you stored in the fridge. Wow what an amazing recipe! Love it!
Hey Diana,
Love this!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Xx
Excellent pasta salad, fresh lovely dressing. I tripled the chives,, added spinach and used tri-color pasta. My husband raved about the fresh corn in the salad.
Hi Stacy,
Happy Friday!!🍪🍦 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
I love this recipe; if you want more flavor, you have to use aged, quality cheeses and the best olive oil. i highly recommend her suggestion to roast fresh corn- do this and i promise the salad will be inhaled. to brighten it more, i grated some lemon peel into the mix for fun. good work T!
Hey Jeanie,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
I like the combo of main ingredients but for several reasons (mostly healthy choices) I prefer not to use the cheddar. Any other suggestions?
Hi Marni,
You can use any cheese you like or just skip it:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I love pasta salads! This one is bright and refreshing with the lemon and fresh vegetables. While prepping, I marinated the tomatoes with olive oil, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2-1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Total marinade time was 15 min. I added some agave syrup to the lemon / olive oil. It tasted so good! Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Monica,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was a winner!! xTieghan
I love a good pasta salad but this lacked flavor. After following the recipe i ended duo adding more spices and some white balsamic vinegar for more flavor, as well as red onions.
Hey there,
So sorry the recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Liked this dish very much. I think that what I consider a « pinch » of crushed red pepper flakes, etc. is much smaller than what I should have used. Now I know. This is a keeper!
Hey Cheryl,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
My friend is a big fan of yours. She Purchased your cookbooks and shared with us this recipe. This dish is fantastic! Full of flavor with a light dressing. This is a perfect blend of seasons and veggies. Making this a regular dish in my home! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Hey Linda,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this dish, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Love this recipe. I used “Jersey Beef tomatoes” instead of cherry tomatoes. Its such a refreshing pasta salad. Thank you
Hey Kathy,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
I loved all the fresh tastes in this salad, it was the perfect pasta salad.
Hey Suzanne,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
The perfect pasta salad. Loved it.
Hey Suzanne,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Have you tasted flavor? Because this salad has none. You obviously didn’t even make it.
Don’t be rude!
Did you even read the story she wrote before the recipe?
Perfect for our 4th weekend. Our store didn’t have chives, so we substituted green onion and it was still delicious! Thank for you making recipes so accessible!
Hey Nancy,
I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy 4th of July!?? xTieghan
Delicious! Fresh, light, healthy pasta salad. Perfect for a summer dinner party. I will make this again.
Hey Christine,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful week:) xTieghan