Cilantro lime pasta salad is a delicious concoction of juicy chicken, tender pasta, and fresh summer veggies tossed together in a citrusy cilantro dressing that’s sure to bring your summer barbecue to the next level.Â
When I think of summer, I think of a few quintessential things: afternoons in the pool, water gun fights, fireworks, homemade ice cream, and, of course, grilling.
Most weekends you’ll find my husband grilling or smoking anything and everything from chicken, brauts, and tri tip to corn, zucchini, and sweet summer squash. And all that grilling needs some delicious sides. Our pick for this summer: cilantro lime pasta salad.
Crunchy bacon bites. Juicy chicken. Crisp tomatoes. Creamy avocado. Tender pasta. And sweet herbaceous cilantro dressing.
It’s fresh, light, and the perfect accompaniment to any summer dish.
Ingredients
- Bacon – we use turkey bacon to keep this recipe a little lower in fat content, but real bacon definitely crisps up nicely.Â
- Avocado – give us ALL the avocado. We use two full avocados in this recipe because we LOVE us some dreamy, creamy avocado. You can cut back or cut out the avocados if they’re not your cup of tea.Â
- Chicken – precooked grilled chicken is super easy to toss in here for some added protein. We use leftover chicken all the time. Our favorite is leftover cilantro lime chicken or shredded chicken. It takes this pasta salad to the next level.
- Pasta – we tend to use smaller pastas, like bowties, small shells, rotini, or gemelli for pasta salad, but use whatever pasta you like. We cook it ahead of time and allow it to cool to room temperature before tossing it in this recipe.
- Tomatoes – cherry or grape tomatoes are so delicious in the summer since they’re in season. When we’re really wanting something fresh we throw in some of the mixed color tomatoes.
- Dressing – cilantro dressing is a sweet, herbaceous and vibrant dressing. But we also love mixing it up with other dressings too (see our recipe modification below).
How to Make Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate if you desired cold pasta salad).
While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped bacon in a single layer. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy. Add the garlic the last minute of cooking and saute. Transfer the bacon-garlic mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool.
This recipe calls for prepared (cooked) chicken. We love to prepare cilantro lime chicken or Instant Pot shredded chicken ahead of time or use leftover chicken for this recipe. Omit if you do not want or do not have prepared chicken.
In a food processor, combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pulse for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.
Halve the tomatoes. Slice the green onion. Cube the avocado.
In a large serving bowl, combine cooked pasta, bacon-garlic mixture, chicken, tomatoes, green onion, and avocado. Mix well. Top with cilantro vinaigrette (or other desired salad dressing) and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Modifications
- Protein – add grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak to this recipe. Our favorite protein is 100% cilantro chicken because it complements the cilantro dressing so well!
- Veggies – summer has so much delicious produce to pick from. Add in zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, and bell peppers for some extra freshness.
- Dressing – the base of this pasta salad is fairly simple, which lets it work with whatever dressing you’ve got on hand. Swap out the cilantro dressing with a delicious, light vinaigrette (try our honey peach, agave citrus, or lemon vinaigrette) or creamy ranch dressing (like avocado, chipotle, poblano, or edamame ranch).
- Pasta – we love a fun pasta shape, but feel free to use your favorite pasta, like bowties, rotini, mini shells, penne, cavatappi, or gemelli.
How to Store Pasta Salad
Refrigerate leftover pasta salad in a large airtight tupperware in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The dressing has lemon and lime juice in it, so it should stay green, but may start to show signs of darkening (oxidation) the longer it is refrigerated.Â
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s sort of personal preference. We recommend enjoying this pasta slightly warm or close to room temperature so that the cilantro dressing stays runny and coats the noodles. However, this pasta salad can also be enjoyed cold.
We recommend cooking pasta al dente so that it is firm. When it is tossed with the sauce it will absorb some of the liquid and naturally become softer, but by cooking it until just tender it is much more likely to stay firmer.
No, we do not recommend rinsing pasta for pasta salad, as it removes the starches that help the sauce cling to the noodles. Plus it is not necessary to rinse noodles to keep them firm and al dente. Simply drain the pasta and transfer it to a serving bowl to cool to room temperature.
Other Pasta Salad Recipes
- Greek pasta salad
- Summer peach pasta salad
- Strawberry couscous pasta salad
- Pasta salad with avocado dressing
Let us know what you think about our recipe for cilantro lime pasta salad by dropping a comment, star rating, and/or sharing on Pinterest/social media! We really appreciate your help in sharing and rating our recipes, as it allows us to continue to bring delicious and healthy recipes to our community!
Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz bowties, small shells, macaroni, or small pasta
- 3 oz turkey (or regular) bacon, cooked, chopped (about 3 slices)
- 2 c cooked chicken, cubed or shredded (we like cilantro lime chicken or shredded chicken)
- 10 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 3 green onions, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 small hass avocados, cubed
- 1 to 1½ c prepared cilantro vinaigrette (or other salad dressing)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cilantro Vinaigrette
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 3 green onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lime, juiced (about 1 Tbsp)
- ½ lemon, juiced (about 1 Tbsp)
- ¼ c extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp walnut oil (sub olive or avocado oil)
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp honey
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional for a touch of heat).
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool to room temperature (or refrigerate if you desired cold pasta salad).
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped bacon in a single layer. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy. Add the garlic the last minute of cooking and saute. Transfer the bacon-garlic mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool.
- This recipe calls for prepared (cooked) chicken. We love to prepare cilantro lime chicken ahead of time or use leftover chicken for this recipe. Omit if you do not want or do not have prepared chicken.
- In a food processor, combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pulse for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Halve the tomatoes. Slice the green onion. Cube the avocado.
- In a large serving bowl, combine cooked pasta, bacon-garlic mixture, chicken, tomatoes, green onion, and avocado. Mix well. Top with cilantro vinaigrette (or other desired salad dressing) and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!
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