Spicy Pasta Salad with Cotija, Corn and Cilantro
This spicy pasta salad is my rendition of the pasta salad from Jan’s Health Bar. It’s a little different but I love it! It’s a simple meal that’s great for picnics and such or just a nice lunch at home. It has a zippy dressing (with options to increase the spice!), crunchy green bell pepper, sweet corn, cotija cheese, and cilantro for balanced flavor + texture.
Like I said, I’m not claiming this is a copycat of Jan’s pasta salad but it has a similar flavor and was my inspiration for this dish. The dressing is a little sweet, a little spicy and it’s made with pantry staples! Then just a few fresh veggies and herbs with very minimal prep and you’re good to go. Let’s make it!
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Spicy pasta salad ingredients
- dry pasta – I like rotini for this recipe, but any type of pasta will work
- green bell peppers – you can sub any color bell pepper you like
- frozen corn – I just used regular but fire-roasted would be good, as would fresh roasted corn
- cotija cheese or queso fresco
- cilantro
- avocado oil – I prefer avocado oil because of its neutral taste, but olive oil works just as well here
- Cholula hot sauce
- lemon juice
- mayo
- honey
- dried oregano
- garlic powder
- cayenne pepper
- salt
- black pepper
How to make it
Step 1: Cook pasta. Boil water in a large pot, add a generous palmful of salt to the water once it’s boiling then add the pasta. This will help season your pasta and give the finished pasta salad the best possible flavor.
Step 2: Make spicy dressing. Place the oil, lemon juice, hot sauce, honey, mayo, tomato paste, cayenne, oregano, 1 tsp salt and black pepper in a jar or salad dressing shaker. Secure the lid and shake vigorously until fully combined.
Step 3: Chop veggies. Now all that’s really left to do is dice bell pepper (I like to dice super small for this), and chop the cilantro cilantro!
Step 4: Combine pasta, corn, bell pepper, cilantro and cheese in a large bowl. Shake up the dressing, add it to the pasta, and toss until the pasta is fully coated.
So easy!
I LOVE LOVE my new salad dressing shaker. It doesn’t leak, has a nice little pour spout and it even comes with a little removable citrus juicer that allows you to juice straight into the container.
If you want to increase the spice level, simply add more cayenne pepper to the dressing. It’s usually pretty powerful so I would add by the 1/4 tsp until its spicy enough for you. You can also increase the hot sauce amount by 1 tbsp.
Should you rinse pasta in cold water for pasta salad?
Yes! It’s important to rinse hot pasta under cold water for pasta salad to remove excess starch from the pasta. And this also cools the pasta down, which you want for pasta salad.
Substitutions and additions
This pasta salad is very flexible depending on how spicy you’d like to make it. Feel free to add more spice by shaking a few dashes of red pepper flakes, or cool it down with less hot sauce or a few slices of avocado on top. Onion would also be a great addition to this salad – chopped red onion or sliced green onions would work great here. Also, feta cheese works just fine if you don’t have cotija cheese.
Storage instructions
This pasta salad should be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container until ready to enjoy. It is okay for it to sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours. You will want to enjoy this within 3-4 days. I think it tastes best the day after you make it!
Tried this recipe?
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Looking for another great pasta salad recipe?
Spicy Pasta Salad with Cotija, Corn and Cilantro
This spicy pasta salad is my rendition of the pasta salad from Jans Health Bar. It’s a little different but I love it! It’s a simple meal that’s great for picnics and such or just nice lunch at home. It has a zippy dressing (with options to increase the spice!), crunchy green bell pepper, sweet corn, cotija cheese and cilantro for balanced flavor + texture.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: main/side
Ingredients
- 10 oz dry rotini pasta
- 1 green bell pepper, diced small
- 3/4 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, measure then chop
- 3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Cholula hot sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 heaping tbsp mayo
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta. Once boiling, add a small palm-full of salt to the water, then add the pasta.
- Chop the bell pepper and cilantro.
- Place the oil, lemon juice, hot sauce, honey, mayo, tomato paste, cayenne, oregano, 1 tsp salt and black pepper in a jar or salad dressing shaker. Secure lid and shake vigorously until fully combined.
- Once pasta is cooked, rinse under cold water until cooled.
- Combine pasta, corn, bell pepper, cilantro and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing and toss until pasta is fully coated.
- Top with extra cilantro and queso if desired.
Notes
Spice – if you want to increase the spice level, increase the amount of cayenne 1/4 tsp at a time to taste. You can also add up to 1 tbsp more of hot sauce or use a spicier hot sauce that you like.
