Here we are, smack dab in the middle of June, and I’m looking out at gray skies. Why?! I don’t know about you, but dreary weather slows me down and sunshine motivates me to skip right along. At least I have a bowl full of summertime goodness in the fridge to tide me over for a while.
This salad concept came to me when I found an ear of corn in my vegetable drawer, a remnant of my cowboy caviar recipe. I whipped up a bold pesto made with fresh cilantro and parsley, toasted pepitas and a jalapeño, which adds extra freshness and a bit of kick.
Then I tossed in some sliced tomatoes, raw corn and black beans. Pasta salad for days! You can easily change up the flavors, and I’ve typed up some suggestions below.
If you’re sensitive to spice or find the idea of jalapeño in pesto to be downright strange (I think it’s lovely), you can skip it altogether. For less spice, be sure to remove all the membranes and seeds from the jalapeño. You might also taste the jalapeño beforehand to make sure you haven’t gotten an overpoweringly spicy pepper on your hands.
Feel free to change up the herbs in the pesto, too. I’m crazy for cilantro but basil would be great, too (or just double the parsley for parsley pesto). If you find the pesto to be too strongly flavored for you, try letting it rest for 30 minutes or mixing in some Parmesan to temper the flavor a notch.
I love the salty, creamy feta in this recipe, but for a dairy free/vegan version, replace it with avocado. You might need to add a bit more salt, to taste. Sun-dried tomatoes are a great add-in, if you have some. I like the dehydrated kind from Trader Joe’s, which are somehow still pliable enough to eat right out of the bag.
Summertime Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Jalapeño Pesto
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: American
This healthy pasta salad features bold summer flavors, including tomatoes, corn and black beans tossed in spicy, fresh pesto! It’s a great vegetarian side dish for potlucks and barbecues. See paragraph above for variations and substitution suggestions! Recipe yields about 8 cups salad, which is enough for 4 main or 8 side servings.
Ingredients
Pasta salad
- ½ pound whole grain bow-tie pasta or rotini or penne
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (10 ounces), sliced into thin rounds
- 1 ear fresh corn, shucked (about ½ cup fresh corn kernels)
- ½ to ¾ cup crumbled feta or diced avocado
Jalapeño herb pesto
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh parsley
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro or basil
- 1 to 2 medium jalapeños, roughly chopped (remove seeds and membranes for less heat), optional
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- 1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or slivered almonds
- ½ cup olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve about a cup of cooking water. Drain and return to pot. Set aside.
- Toast the pepitas in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they are making little popping noises and turning lightly golden on the edges. Set aside to cool a bit.
- To make the pesto, combine the herbs, jalapeño, lemon, garlic and salt in a food processor. Pour in the pepitas. Pulse a few times and then run the machine while drizzling in the olive oil until the mixture is well blended, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
- Pour enough pesto into the pasta to lightly coat it once tossed (you might not quite need all of it). Add a small splash of pasta cooking water and toss well. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl and add the drained black beans, sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh corn and feta or avocado. Stir until combined. This salad tastes best after it’s had a chance to marinate for about 30 minutes, but you can serve it right away if need be.
Notes
Make it vegan/dairy free: Omit the cheese and use diced avocado instead.
Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free pasta.
Make it nut free: Be sure to use pepitas, which are seeds, rather than almonds or another nut in the pesto.
Storage suggestions: This recipe keeps well for several days in the refrigerator, covered. Leftovers are great served warm or chilled. If you want to change it up/stretch it out, add some fresh, leafy greens and a drizzle of lemony dressing.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth
I never get tired of summer pasta salads. They are beautiful to look at and, most importantly, totally satisfying! Glad to have another awesomely delish recipe to add to the recipe box!
Sherry
As usual, your recipe was delicious! I always come to your site first when I’m looking for a recipe, knowing I will love it. Thank you for sharing your recipes Kate ❤
★★★★★
Marietta
The salad has a little too much starch for me, but the pesto sounds very interesting. I have been investigating making basil pestos with different nuts.
I was wondering, have you ever thought about substituting avocado for some of the oil in the pesto?
Kate
I love playing around with pestos! You might find some ideas here. I’ve tried adding avocado and it turns out pretty well. I just have this weird issue with warm avocados (they taste overripe to me), so I didn’t like it so much on pasta.
Rebecca Claire
Thank you for sharing! This looks absolutely gorgeous. Cannot wait to make it! xx
★★★★★
krystal
This pesto is similar (or at least reminds me of) a chimichurri (recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/ted-allens-grilled-steak-with-roasted-jalepeno.html) I make to top veggie tacos!
Maybe roasting the jalapeno for this recipe will temper the spice for those who don’t like things too spicy. Thanks for the tex-mex pasta salad idea!
Kate
You’re right, they are very similar! Love me some chimichurri. Great idea to roast the jalapeño!
Sam @ Pancakewarriors
wow this pesto sounds incredible. I bet it would be a great marinade as well. Pasta salad is always a favorite of mine in the summer this will be a fun change!
Kate
I bet you’re right! Hope you love this salad, Sam.
Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
I think you’ve figured out the only way to make pesto better…add jalapenos! I’m LOVING this, and we’ll definitely try it this summer!
Tova
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!!
Jennifer @ The Foodie Patootie
Gorgeous photos! I am so inspired by summer produce lately. I’m going to include your salad in my roundup for Foodie.com for summer salads! :)
Kate
Thank you, Jennifer! :)
Chelsea@TableForOne
Pasta salads are my favorite for summer parties. This version is so pretty and I am sure it has so much flavor. Sounds delicious!
Eileen
Yes! Eat all the salad! This is the kind of thing I like to make in a big batch and eat all week for lunch. Super fast and super delicious.
Marie
This recipe looks SO mediterranean =D
Kelly
Jalapenos in pesto- can’t wait to try it!
dixya | food, pleasure, and health
im always looking for new ideas for pasta salads and this one looks wonderful.
Cassie Tran
Delicious! Awesome summertime recipe!
Gaby
One of my favorite things about summer is all the salads. How perfect is this!!
Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks
so fresh! love the idea of jalapeno pesto – very creative.
Jessie Squires
Jalapeno pesto you say? I haven’t thought of that one! Yes please! And the combo of fresh corn and tomatoes sounds perfect for summer. Can’t wait…pinning now!
Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect
Oh my god, Jalapeno pesto sounds amazing.
This salad looks great and I have some feta in the fridge that I used last night with courgettes, pine nuts, lemon and mint. I will definitely have to try this.
Medeja
This salad looks great for summer when it’s too hot to eat heavy food :)
Anna
so simple yet so delicious :) love it it’s perfect for a summer lunch
Amy
I made this for our dinner tonight – I’m having a hard time staying out of it while the flavor meld for half an hour. Seriously yum! Thanks.
Kate
Yay! Thank you, Amy!
Evelyn
God, this looks brilliant! Adding jalapenos to pasta isn’t something I would ever have thought of, but I think it works perfect. Italians probably didn’t have access to jalapenos, but I think you cannot really go wrong with a neutral flavoured, carb-y thing like pasta (or couscous, or rice, or quinoa etc) and a delicious Mexican/ Tex Mex thing like this green herb salsa. I’m having a barbecue this weekend and I wanted to make your salad with roast corn, bell pepper, red onion and avocado, but this one would be an amazing addition too!
Kate
Thanks, Evelyn! I love jalapeños for their super fresh flavor, so they seemed like a natural fit in a Mexican-ish pesto. Now I want to come to your barbecue! :)
Emma {Emma's Little Kitchen}
Jalepeno Pesto?! Goodness gracious that sounds impossibly good. I’m with you on the grey skies… COME ON SUNSHINE!
Kate
C’monnnnnnn sunshine!!! Maybe if we yell loud enough, in unison?
Joanne
I tried jalapeno in my pesto for the first time just recently..and now i can’t think of any better way to eat it!! This pasta salad is what I want…FOR DAYS ON END. Probably weeks, really.
Kate
Girl, we are always on the same page! High five!
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life
This pesto will be popular in our house for sure! I love the addition of jalapenos and the combination with coriander/cilantro is simply perfect! I can’t wait to make a big bowl of this for our next get together!
Sheila C.
Made this tonight. It was a home run!!!. My whole family loved it and remarked on how flavorful it was. Thanks for a great tasting meal that I could put on the table in no time flat!! We love your website. Especially my 16 y.o daughter. Keep it coming!!
Kate
Thank you, Sheila! Delighted to hear it!!!
Manuel
All I got to say, is that this recipe was great, I just finished eating it and it was so freshly delicious that it made all the time making it worth it. I really enjoy this blog because it keeps its recipes with ingredients that are really simple and yet healthy. Will be coming back for more.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you very much, Manuel! :D
Ashwin
Thanks for a fantastic recipe! It was delicious, healthy, and simple. Perfect salad dinner for those hot summer days. Even the cilantro disliking wife enjoyed the salad.
★★★★★
Kate
Yes! Thank you!
Tina
This was DELISH!
I’m so thankful for coming across your blog. I’ve literally been trying at least 2 of your recipes per week…you never let me down.
Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Yay! Thank you, Tina!!!
Sonja
I never post comments but this salad is so good and easy that I just had to! Thanks for this delightful recipe. We just harvested some hot peppers from the garden and this was a fine way to use them!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, Sonja! Delighted that you enjoyed this one!
Deborah Mickler
Made this yesterday and we loved it. Serving it again tonight since we have a tough hike planned for tomorrow. Have enjoyed so many of your recipes. Off the top of my head I would say Deb’s Kale Salad recipe and the Lentil Soup recipe with cumin and curry are definitely favorites. Tried the Best Brownie recipe this week. Tough to stir but delicious and will definitely try again. Thanks for the wonderful meals.
Kate
Deborah, so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! Yay!
Emmy
I was a little worried about the black beans as I have never used them before. I was also wondering whether the jalapeno would be too hot for my toddler. I need not have worried, I used 1 jalapeno and it wasn’t hot at all. The dish is delicious! I made a big batch which we lived off for a few days.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Emmy! I’m glad this one turned out well for you, too. Black beans are SO nutritious—they’re actually so blue (like blueberry blue) that they’re black, which means they’re full of antioxidants!
Ailsa M
Ok so I know its January and it’s about -5 where I am now, but I am so excited to have this for my lunches next week! Although I am cheating slightly and using store bought pesto (very bad of me I know!)but I’m hoping it will still taste good!
Kate
Hope it turns out great with store-bought pesto! It’s way too cold outside here, too. Brr!
Audrey
Just made this for my lunches and it’s absolutely delicious! It’s so easy I love this thank you!
★★★★★
Nyima
Thanks for this recipe – I live in Mexico and its always nice to find one with ingredients that are easily available here. I used only cilantro and served with queso fresco and cold avo on top, yum!
★★★★★
sue warner
Made this last night and what a breeze for such a great dish! Easy, healthy, yummy (my three must be’s) I cut the olive oil to 1/4 cup and added dbl the avocado instead of feta (Vegan here)
Thanks for the great dinner…..:)
Danica
Even without the add-ins this is delicious! I love that the recipe calls for inexpensive, accessible ingredients. I can’t make a lot of the pesto recipes out there because of the cost of nuts and fresh herbs.
★★★★★
Lauren
I made this last night to pack for lunches this week. Easy ingredients, simple to pull together, incredibly delicious, and so beautiful! I’ll definitely be bringing this as a side to summer cookouts!
★★★★★
Pam
Love this recipe! Made it for dinner tonight. What is the calorie count per serving?
★★★★★
Kate
Sorry Pam, I don’t know the calorie counts for my recipes. Feel free to run this recipe through a nutrition calculator such as myfitnesspal.com for an estimate.
Jo-Anne
Just finished making this for a party this evening and, I’ve got to say, It’s the bomb! I did not use the hot peppers as most of the folks there do not like hot, but the flavors are so yummy! I did add 1/2 t sugar because the pesto was very tart and needed “something”. Also only used 3 oz of olive oil.
This will be a staple in my potluck recipe box! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kat
I made this yesterday evening and, although it was absolutely delicious, the corn and the cherry tomatoes together were a little sweet for my tastes. Next time I’m gonna up the jalapenos to 3 to give the pesto more of a kick but, if you were going to sub out the cherry tomatoes for something less sweet, what might you go for? I’m thinking maybe bell pepper and some arugula.
★★★★
Kate
I feel you; it’s hard to balance out the sweetness of corn sometimes. Definitely up the jalapeños next time. I think adding some arugula is a great idea. I often find cherry tomatoes to be a little more tart than sweet, and bell peppers can be even sweeter, so I’m not sure that will do the trick.
Kat
Thanks for getting back to me! My cherry tomatoes were crazy sweet so that might have been part of the problem – I’ll try to pick out some tarter ones for next time. LOVE your site by the way; I came across it a couple of months ago and I make one of your recipes nearly every week now. Thanks for creating such great content (and thanks in particular for all the great salads and for introducing me to the wonders of quinoa).
Kat
So I finally got around to re-making this salad! I used 3 jalapenos in the pesto, reduced the number of cherry tomatoes and added in some sundried tomatoes. WOW. I’m sad it took me nearly 2 years to try this again because it might just be my favourite pasta salad ever.
Raegan
I love all of your recipes!!!:))thank you!
Enid Weygandt
This is super delicious and even wonderful a day or two later.
JoAnn Cosma
I made this salad for friends who are vegan and it was a big hit. I will be making it for every summer party from now on! Even non vegans loved it!
★★★★★
Marie
Awesome summer salad! Delicious and filling! I made a simpler version by buying pesto and adding jalapeños for an added kick. Everything else I did as suggested in recipe. I love the fresh corn element.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Marie! So glad you enjoyed it.
Tiona
This was so easy and delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Yay! Thanks, Tiona!
Jess
Delicious! It’s going on the Family “make again” list. Just in time for the Australian summer.
Didn’t have feta for this attempt, will try adding it next time. Think it will round the flavours nicely.
★★★★★
Niki
Another winner! :D my mom and I both loved it. The feta addition paired well with the dish.
Kate
Yes! Glad to hear it, Niki :) I hope the streak continues.
Sarika
Just devoured this for lunch! So good! My toddler loved it too, so I’m sure we will be making this many times this summer. Thanks!
Kate
Awesome! Thanks, Sarika.
Anna Crisostomo
Yummy, once again, I am blown away by great flavors! Thanks so much Kate, loving your recipes.I used super greens rotini instead of regular noodles. Who doesn’t deserve extra servings of greens right. LOL
★★★★★
Kate
The more greens, the better!
Linda
Delicious! Made this last night, and it’s so, so good! Great for a lunch-to-go.
★★★★★
Leanne
I brought this to a work potluck and everyone loved it! Thank you for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
What a great option for a potluck! Thank you for your review.
Theresa Holloway
This is the BEST! Made it for the whole family and we used the avocado version as I do not like feta cheese. Also, half of my family does not like Cilantro, so we used 2 cups of parsley. We had an all salad meal, with 3 bean salad and a butternut squash/zucchini salad. While they were all good, this one stole the show and was everyone’s favorite! Can’t wait to try it with Cilantro. This is definitely going to become a favorite. With the spice – I may even try it with mango to give it a sweet and spicy flavor.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing your variation, Theresa! I appreciate the review.
Robyn
I made this last night, and it was a huge hit. My husband usually doesn’t like pesto but he loved this one. I will definitely make this one again.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Robyn!
Kayti
Any idea if the pesto would freeze well? I’m thinking of making this on a camping trip but doing the pesto ahead of time and freezing it.
Mary
Took this dish to a potluck picnic today. I needed something that I could make ahead and serve cold. I subbed walnuts for pepitas and lime for lemon. Got lots of Likes as usual when I make your recipes. Thanks!
★★★★
Kate
That sounds like a delicious way to substitute! Thank you, Mary. I appreciate your review.
JEN
Do you recommend freezing the pesto? I made a batch to help my husband with dinner prep one evening and he missed it in the fridge and made a new batch. Also, the recipe is delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
You can freeze pesto! I recommend freezing in ice cube trays! Let me know how it works for you!
Joe
OMG this was sooo good! I found an almond/pepitas mix at the supermarket and that worked great. I liked the pasta dish so much I ate the whole batch in 12 hrs. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Joe! Thanks for your review.
Molly
What vegetarian parmesan is your favorite? Ever since i found out about rennet I’ve been struggling to find one…
Kate
Hi Molly! I usually have good luck with the 365 brand at Whole Foods.
Mike
“You might not quite need all of (the pesto)”??? Lordy, I was scraping the processor bowl like it was liquid gold! It’s sitting overnight to meld, but really looking forward to lunches this week. Thanks for another winner in this house.
★★★★★
Kate
Ha! I’m glad you loved it, Mike.
Lea
Yummy!!! I have never made pesto before, so this was a real treat! Will be eating this salad all week!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Lea!
Deanna
This is one of our favorite C&K recipes! Easy to make and lasts forever. If you like it spicy, leave some of the jalapeno seeds in for the pesto. We would highly recommend this one!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear it! Thanks for sharing, Deanna.
Izabella
This is SO good it has become my favorite summer pasta recipe. I like to add jalapeno pieces to the pasta itself too! Amazing, satisfying side or full meal.
★★★★★
Hilary
The best pasta salad I’ve ever had! Made without cheese or avocado and it tasted amazing.
★★★★★
Kimberly
Made this for my sister’s birthday on the 4th of July and it was a hit! The toasted pepitas add an earthiness to the dish and the spice of the jalapeño is just right; I didn’t deseed it either and the heat was not too much to handle. Will definitely be making again for future family functions :) Thank you cookie & Kate!
★★★★★
Kris
This recipe is great! It was such a hit with my family next to our fish tacos. I just made another batch with double the tomatoes/corn/beans and no pasta (for my carb conscious side) and it is so delicious this way too. Thank you!
★★★★★
Sherri Reid
This jalapeño pesto is amazing!
★★★★★
Fiona
I have just made this for lunch. I couldn’t decide between the avocado or feta so I used avocado then sprinkled some feta on top. Another delicious recipe
★★★★★
Natalie
Do leftovers freeze well?
Kate
Hi Natalie! I haven’t tried to freeze this one and not sure this would freeze the best with the pasta and ingredients combination.
Melissa Landers
This is soooo good! I didn’t have a lemon so I used red wine vinegar. I didn’t have parsley so I used extra cilantro. I didn’t even have corn so I used a can of hominy. That’s the great thing about pasta salad…use what you have! The best part is this pesto! Yummy yummy! Great recipe! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Melissa! Thank you for your review.
Naomi
This is so yummy. I didn’t have corn, but it was still great! Even my toddlers loved it (super win!). I used avocado instead of cheese as well. Love it!