Grilled Corn and Avocado Pasta Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing is an easy, gluten free pasta salad recipe full of color and fresh flavor!
Looking for a pasta salad switch up? Put your go-to aside and try my Grilled Corn and Avocado Pasta Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing!
This gluten-free pasta salad recipe couldn’t be easier. Cooked pasta is combined with chopped avocado, cherry tomatoes, minced red onion, chopped basil, and grilled corn then tossed with a homemade, 3 ingredient (plus salt and pepper) Chili-Lime Dressing that’s tart, smokey, and a little sweet.
Translation: to die for — especially when its paired with the smokey grilled sweet corn. YUM!
Gluten Free Pasta Salad
Since this pasta salad is made with gluten-free pasta, I recommend serving it immediately or refrigerating for up to one hour before serving, and using brown rice gluten free pasta vs a corn/rice blend pasta. The latter can become hard and brittle after sitting in the refrigerator for a few hours.
What I love just as much as the flavor though, is that this salad can sit out for several hours at room temperature, no problem, so it’s perfect for a summer backyard bash.
How to Make this Recipe
Start by cooking 8oz gluten-free brown rice rotini in salted, boiling water until cooked through. Drain then rinse under cold water until cool. Meanwhile, grill 2 sweet corn cobs that have been shucked over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, rotating occasionally, until the corn is evenly charred. The more char, the more flavor!
Slice the kernels from the cob once they’re cool enough to handle then add to a large bowl with the cooked and cooled pasta, plus 1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes that have been sliced in half, 1 chopped avocado, 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil, and 1/4 small red onion that’s been minced.
By the way, I usually slice my avocados in half before peeling, but have found that slicing them into quarters makes it even easier.
How to Make Chili-Lime Dressing
Last step is to shake up the crazy-easy Chili-Lime Dressing which has the perfect balance of tart, smokey, and just a teeny bit sweet. To a jar with a tight-fitting lid add 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes worth,) 1 Tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, salt, and pepper then shake to combine. Drizzle over the pasta salad (you may not need all of it,) then add a bit more salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Serve the pasta salad immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour before serving (gluten-free pasta can get hard and mealy if refrigerated too long, though if you are using regular pasta you can refrigerate as long as you like.) Pull out at your party, picnic, or potluck, and enjoy a scoop or seven of this fresh and absolutely delicious pasta salad. Enjoy!
Grilled Corn and Avocado Pasta Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 8 oz brown rice gluten free rotini, or other short cut pasta
- 2 ears sweet corn, shucked
- 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1/4 small red onion, minced
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
For the Chili-Lime Dressing:
- 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, about 2 limes
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until done then drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, grill corn cobs over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, rotating occasionally to char evenly on all sides. Slice kernels from cobs once cool enough to handle.
- Add ingredients for Chili-Lime Dressing into a jar with a tight-fitting lid or bowl then shake or whisk to combine.
- Combine pasta, corn, avocado, tomatoes, red onion, and basil in a large bowl then drizzle on desired amount of dressing. Season salad with additional salt and pepper then toss to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to one hour before serving*.
Notes
- I recommend using brown rice pasta for chilled pasta salads — corn/rice blend gluten free pasta can become hard and brittle once refrigerated.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
So much to love about this pasta salad! It’s the perfect side dish for any summer gathering!
This pasta salad recipe is great. It seems very delicious. I’m in the process of making this for memorial day dinner. Thanks for the lovely recipe.
I made the goat cheese and bacon stuffed peppers to test drive them before a potluck. I used salmon flavor cream cheese. To Die For! So good I don’t want to take them to the potluck, I want to hoard them all for me!
Made the grilled corn pasta salad last night and it was delicious, everyone loved it. We grilled some chicken, sliced it up, added it to the pasta salad and made it a meal. Love your recipes Kristin
Thank you so much, Elizabeth, I really appreciate that! :)
I can’t wait to try some of these recipes! Thanks for the ideas. I absolutely love cookouts and these are perfect sides!
Mmm…I love pasta salad. And this combo!
If you ever need a quick, toddler friendly getaway, I can’t recommend Lawrence, KS enough. Lots to do…and lots of great places to eat. (I live here, so I might be biased :D)
Oh you’re right! I visited a friend at KU once in college and it was a beautiful town!!
We made this last night for dinner and you’re right, it was perfect! I will definitely be making this again and again this summer!
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Angela! Thanks so much for the feedback!
FYI – Memorial Day weekend in San Diego can be quite a wildcard. Many, many Memorial weekends I have thought to myself “I would be super bummed if I paid money to fly out here for this crummy weather!”. Our May Gray is in full swing with June Gloom just around the corner! Palm Springs, here we come for some of your sunshine!
Oooo Palm Springs – now there’s a place I haven’t thought of visiting as a family!! Have a blast!
Wow. what a great variety of recipes. I can’t wait to give some of them a try. The cucumber tomato salad is so cute!
Beautiful family, and your parents have stunning grass. I’m jealous of the lawn!!!
Hahaha, we are too – they have the best grass!
I saw this post show up in my bloglovin feed and was hooked at first sight! It looks like the perfect summer noodle salad! Then I found out it was gluten free and I was sold. This will definitely be making it on to my Memorial Day menu:)
XO – Sarah
https://beautyandblooms.com/
Perfect! I hope you love it, Sarah!
Holy cow, you read my mind! I was looking for this recipe yesterday to make it for dinner last night and was so sad I couldn’t find it in your index! Thankfully another site had a list of ingredients so I was able to put it together. Still one of my very favorite summer recipes!
Ahh, too funny! I think people are thinking pasta salad for the holiday! :)
Corn and avocado together sounds so good! I love finding different ways to eat avocados!
It really is a super combo – hope you love it! :)