As the weather starts to get warmer, I start to look for recipes that don’t require much cooking and standing in the kitchen. If the ingredients are pantry and refrigerator staples, then that is a big bonus. So today I have an easy and pasty Black bean pasta salad recipe that is sure to be a big hit with everyone. This recipe is inspired from Jazzy vegetarian cooking show I watched on PBS. It’s a very colorful salad with the addition of all the veggies and black beans. It is tossed in a mayo-dijon mustard dressing.
Ingredients
Pasta is obviously the main ingredient for this recipe. I used penne rigate or penne with lines or grooves. The grooves help to hold the dressing and make the salad taste great. You can use any small pasta like fusilli, macaroni, mini rigatoni etc. Just make sure they have the grooves for extra deliciousness. The second important component in this cold pasta salad is the dressing. There are only 4 ingredients in the dressing:
Mayonnaise - I used vegan mayo since that is what I have at home, but feel free to use regular.Dijon mustard - one of my favorite ingredients. Adds zing and spiciness to any dish.Maple syrup - to give a touch of sweetness to the dish. Feel free to omit it.Dried Italian seasoning - adds nice flavor and complexity to the dish.
Not but not the least are the canned black beans and fresh veggies. I used finely diced carrots, colored peppers and onions. Use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand. Steamed broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas would also work in this recipe.
Instructions
Time consuming part of this dish is cooking pasta and chopping veggies. Once these two are done, the pasta salad comes together in no time.
Taste Test:
This pasta salad with black beans is one of my go-to recipes to make during spring/ summer. It is creamy, crunchy and very addictive. Black beans add protein, making this a wholesome meal. Here are a couple of pasta salad recipes that you might want to try:
Pasta Salad with Spinach & Feta cheeseSpring Vegetable Pasta SaladSummer Barley Salad
