Allergy-Friendly, Cilantro-Lime Pasta Salad (Top-9-Free Adaptations)
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A bright and flavorful pasta salad, perfect for your next make ahead meal or get together!
Pasta salads are so wonderful! They can be made as an entire make-ahead meal for school lunches or are the perfect side-dish to bring along to a BBQ or party. One of my goals this year is to help all of my kids see the joy of pasta salads to make this allergy-mom life just a little bit easier. I have one of three kids on board so far! Haha.
I made a delicious cilantro-lime dressing recently and I have been experimenting with all the amazing applications it can have. Friends, it is SO good. I made dairy-free enchiladas, rice bowls, and pasta salad with it this week, but it would also be the perfect salad dressing as well. I also had a kiddo eat it on his nachos! When I experimented with adaptations using vegan mayo, my husband actually chose the vegan and top-9-free version as his favorite, which I had spiced up with some jalapeños. I decided that this recipe HAD to be used for a pasta salad as well, because I know it would be perfect for a BBQ or for lunch peal prep. Make sure to read all my notes in the recipe description though, because it did lose a little flavor as the days went on. My son and I ate it multiple times over the weekend and it was so lovely to have something fully made I could just pull out and eat! I hope this recipe helps you out as much as it is helping me find an easier way to make amazing meals safe for our allergies!
Here is the link to my cilantro-lime dressing, which I hope you enjoy!
https://happilyeverallergy.com/blog/allergy-friendly-cilantro-lime-dressing/
Modifications:
The joy of pasta salads is that you can add or take away any items you don’t like or can’t eat. For those that love spicy food, diced pickled jalapeños would be a delicious addition! For those who like a tang, but not spice, pickled banana peppers or pepperoncini would be fantastic diced up and added! I LOVE red onions and either diced red onions or pickled red onions would both be delicious. Also, to make this a full meal for my family, I will definitely add diced rotisserie chicken in the future!
Gluten Free:
We have not been gluten-free in our home for about four years now. I did make a LOT of gluten-free pasta salads when my kiddo was gluten-free, though. Cold, gluten-free pasta can be strange. Depending on the brand, they can sometimes get an odd chewy texture, that to me was inedible. At that time, the recipes I experimented with did best if I served them right away and did not refrigerate them. BUT I just read an article from Jovial (2019) about gluten-free pasta salad and they had an idea! They recommended cooking rice-based gluten-free pasta 2+ minutes longer so it was extra soft, but not mushy. Then, when the pasta is chilled, it retains a softer texture. I have not tried this, but if you do, let me know how it goes!! Everyone needs a make-head meals, so I hope this works well! Here is the article I was referencing:
https://jovialfoods.com/blog/the-secret-to-great-gluten-free-pasta-salad
Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad (Top-9-Free Adaptations)
Recipe by Erin | happilyeverallergy.com
Ingredients
- 8 oz of your favorite pasta (gluten-free if needed – see note below)
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup of whole kernel corn (I love the frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – quartered
- 1 bell pepper diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 avocado – diced
- 1 1/2 Cups Cilantro Lime Dressing (My top-9–free recipe here)
Directions
- Cook your pasta to your desired doneness, then rinse and drain it under cool water to stop the cooking process. Leaving a little water on the pasta is good! I always fully cook my wheat-based pasta for pasta salad. See my note below for gluten-free pasta cook times!
- Add all the other ingredients and stir together, but reserve a little of the cilantro lime dressing to freshen up the pasta salad if you will serve it later. Enjoy!
Notes
- I like my pasta salad with a lot of mix-ins! If you like more pasta in your pasta to mix-ins ratio, adjust accordingly. Just note, if you double the pasta, you will need more cilantro-lime dressing!
- If you want to make this recipe a few hours ahead of time, you can totally do that! The sauce will dry out a little bit, so you can either add a little water or reserve a bit of the dressing to add at serving time. Also, avocado turns brown and oxidizes very easily. If you are making this pasta salad in advance, I would add the avocado at the last minute to ensure it stays as fresh as possible!
- Making this a day ahead or for a meal prep-idea is a wonderful idea! We noticed that the dressing flavors were not as vibrant the second day. For meal prepping, I would mix all the ingredients together or portion it in containers, except the dressing. You could use little condiment cups to separate the dressing and add it right before eating to avoid a less flavorful pasta salad. Another option is to reserve some of the dressing for the next day OR add some extra lime juice and cilantro.
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DISCLAIMER
Everyone’s allergies are different. I show products and recipes that are safe for our allergy-situation, or for informational purposes only. Make sure to always do your own research to make sure products are safe for you. Even though we manage many allergies in our home, we do not call about manufacturing processes in relation to our allergens, except for mustard as an added ingredient. If you have any questions about if a product is safe for you, contact your allergist for individual medical guidance or contact a product manufacturer to find out shared line or shared facility information. Stay safe friends!