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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!
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 752 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
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.
This post was originally published on August 6, 2018
I love your recipes and just searched your blog last week for a pasta salad to make for a barbecue we went to. I wanted something simple but elevated like all your recipes. Can’t wait to try this.
I hope you love this Krystle! Thank you!
Simple summer cooking is my favorite and this pasta salad is so perfect for these hot August days!
Thank you so much! I hope you love this!
I made this and used feta instead of cheddar and parmesan, so delicious and loved the minimal effort! Great summer meal, and I will definitely make it again 🙂
I am so glad you loved this Heather! Thank you so much!
This pasta salad looks like exactly what we need in our weekly line up ! My boyfriend and I are ALL ABOUT seasonal ingredients used in simple ways sometimes I love to get down in the kitchen but more often, I need recipes like this in my repertoire when I want something delicious but quick and simple. And this in particular seems like a welcome departure from the tabbuleh we’ve been making for the past 3 weeks (sooo good and so fresh). Thank you ! Summer produce is where it’s at, I’ll miss it. PS – Making your peach and burrata pizza tomorrow !
I hope you LOVE the peach and burrata pizza Megan! Thank you so much! Also Summer produce is the BEST, I will miss it as well!
Just a quick word of encouragement – I rarely comment but I read your blog religiously, every day for at least a year, probably closer to two. Post whatever you want! Your recipes are beautiful, accessible, and delicious. Every time.
Thank you so much Ashlee! I am so glad you think this way and have been enjoying my recipes!
Obviously Aiden’s mother never taught him, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t complain about people giving you free recipes that actually take a lot of time and money to deliver. You are doing an amazing job– don’t let anyone make you feel bad about whatever you decide to serve up.
Thank you Norma! I hope you love this recipe and other recipes on my blog!
This was delicious. We had it tonight wicedsr planked salmon. Thanks Tieghan.
Thank you Kim!
Looks like the perfect recipe to use up my garden basil and the plethora of cherry tomatoes that are coming in! 🙂 And for what it’s worth, while I love baking and spending extra time in the kitchen on weekends, I love having simple week-night recipes. They are practical for many people too with busy schedules and who work away from home and commute!
Thank you so much Brittany! I am so glad you like this recipe and hope you try it!
It’s too bad people have to post unkind comments. If the post isn’t for you, just move on, please.
Tieghan, I want to thank you for all your great recipes. Even though I’ve been cooking for many years, and people say I cook gourmet, I can run out of ideas or get stuck in a rut. Actually, your tomato toast recipe last week, saved the day for me. We’ve been spending countless hours going back and forth to the hospital to be with a sick friend. The emotional exhaustion left me feeling like I couldn’t make a thing for supper, but you inspired me. I made a garden salad and the tomato toast and we had a nice, refreshing and nutritious summer meal, that beat take-out!
Also, with your recipe today, you shared a great tip about adding the cheese while the pasta is still warm. Now, eager to try this.. You work so hard and give very generously of your time and talents. I’m sure many of your readers really appreciate it, even if we don’t always comment. Blessings.
Hi Carolynn! This is so sweet and I am so glad you shared your thoughts with me. I am glad you find some inspiration in my recipes and sometimes you just need a quick and simple recipe! Also, I hope your friend is doing better and wish him or her the best!
I agree…Love to have the mix of recipes from simple to more complex. You are awesome…keep up the great work. Thanks
Thank you so much Lyn!
This looks delicious and I love that you mix it up between more complex and simple recipes! Can’t wait to try this! 🙂
Thank you so much Julia!
Fun recipe. Will probably make as a side with steak (cut in half, of course). Yes simple, creative, complex. A mix is great. Sometimes I like to spend all day in kitchen; other days I don’t.
Thank you so much Joyce!
I am a reader that loves your simple recipes, even more than the complicated ones. I live in a tiny apartment in a major city and have zero space (or inclination) to make anything more complicated than this. Thanks for creating posts for all types of readers, Tieghan! And this look DELICIOUS.
Thank you so much Caitlyn! I am so glad you love the simple recipes on my blog! I love to give you guys a variety of recipes! I hope you continue to love my blog!
Looks good but I personnaly think it’s a shame you waste a post on this kind of recipe. Anyone who cooks a minima can throw this kind of salad together, no? Like your tomato & cheese toast last week, nothing really new… Simple can sure be the best but no one needs mile-long recipes to do that. It sure must be difficult to suggest something new every day, how about posting less (3-4 times a week?) but staying creative with original recipes? Love your blog but my friends & I have the feeling you’re sometimes getting bored with cooking or you’re too busy with your many projects.
Hey Aiden, thanks so much for the feedback and for reading. I am sorry you feel this recipe is boring. I really like to have a wide variety of both creative and simple recipes here on HBH and while I don’t do it too often, I still love to share the recipes I make for a quick dinner on busy nights. I personally love this recipe and have been making it all summer long, so why not share it with my readers? Most do love my simple recipes and appreciate that I have a mix of simple and easy, to not so simple. The good news is that I have so many recipes on the blog for people to choose from that you can really just take your pick, simple or not so simple! I hope that helps to clear things up for you. Thanks again. xTieghan
What kind of pasta is shown in the picture?
HI! It’s Gemelli pasta. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan