Looking for the ultimate picnic side dish? Our cilantro pasta salad recipe is a game changer! Check it out and wow your guests!
Don’t you just love cilantro? I have to be honest, I barely even knew this herb existed until recently! Sure, we’d give it to our guinea pigs every now and then, but I thought it was more of a garnish than an actual ingredient. Crazy, right? Then one day, I was at a restaurant that had this yummy sounding dip on their appetizer menu. I can’t remember what was in it, aside from the cilantro.
Wow, that little herb sure can take a plain old dip and elevate it to whole new levels! If it can do that with a tiny appetizer, what can it do with a side dish? You’re about to find out! This cilantro pasta side dish recipe is exactly what your big end of summer picnic needs. Don’t forget to print the recipe for later!
Cilantro Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box penne pasta, 12 – 16 oz, cooked , drained, cooled
- 2 cups Chicken breast, cooked and chopped
- 1/2 C corn, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 C black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 C cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 Block of pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 C cilantro, chopped (Mix half of the 1/4 C into the ranch dressing and the other half use for garnish)
- 2 Avocado’s, sliced and cut into cubes
- 1/2 bottles of ranch dressing
- 1 Lime, juiced
Directions
You’re going to love this! Just one step!
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until fully mixed.
- Serve cold.
Can you believe how easy it is?
Print this recipe for later:
The Game Changing Cilantro Pasta Salad Recipe Your Picnic Needs
- 1 box penne pasta (12 – 16 oz, cooked , drained, cooled)
- 2 cups Chicken breast (cooked and chopped)
- 1/2 C corn (rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 C black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 C cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
- 1/2 Block of pepper jack cheese (cut into small cubes)
- 1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
- 1/4 C cilantro (chopped (Mix half of the 1/4 C into the ranch dressing and the other half use for garnish))
- 2 Avocado's (sliced and cut into cubes)
- 1/2 bottles of ranch dressing
- 1 Lime (juiced)
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until fully mixed.
- Serve cold.
Did you know that cilantro isn’t just a fabulous addition to boost the flavor of your dish? It’s also pretty good for you! Cilantro is super low in calories and has no cholesterol. So what does it have? Well, plenty of antioxidants, for one! It’s also a good source of important minerals like potassium, calcium, and iron; and vitamins like C, A, and K! Our Cilantro Pasta recipe is also loaded with avocado, and I think you all know how good that is for you! Isn’t it amazing when a tasty pasta salad side dish come packed with healthy benefits?
Speaking of delicious side dishes, if you want to give your guests choices and still keep things easy for you, make sure you check out our yummy Chipotle Ranch Pasta Salad! It’s super easy to make in just three steps. Honestly, if I was a guest at your picnic, I’d eat both!
Do you have any favorite picnic side dishes? Share below!
That looks so tasty and refreshing! Perfectly light for those hot muggy summer days. I love cilantro and the way how it lightens up dishes. I will have to give this pasta dish a go!
This dish would be perfect for those hot summer days when you don’t want to stand over a hot stove all day! Cilantro has definitely become one of my new favorite herbs!
Chicken and pasta is always good. And Cilantro can do some amazing things to spruce up dishes. This looks wonderful.
I’m one of those people who HATES cilantro. So this wouldn’t be a salad for me, but the Chipotle Ranch Pasta Salad sounds delicious!
I could probably eat this for days!
This salad looks super delicious! I love Cilantro. My sister’s husband made a chicken cilantro lime rice for me years ago and it was amazing. Ever since then I have loved Cilantro. Great on tacos too!
I do like a little cilantro in some dishes. Hubby isn’t nuts about it so I never use tons of it.
I actually grow cilantro in my garden every summer. It’s just so good! This pasta salad sounds yummy.
A good pasta salad is everything! During the summer ,we do a lot of picnics so I cant wait to try this recipe.
I love cilantro, but my husband won’t touch it. Lol! I think this sounds amazing, and looks really good. Would definitely make it if I had someone to share it with. :)
It’s so funny, I’m actually not a fan of cilantro, but so many people seem to love it so I’m looking for recipes to try that convert me and this looks so yummy! I’m going to try it this weekend when we have family over and see how it goes!
Cilantro is one of my favorites. I could eat anything as long as it’s on there. This pasta salad looks delish – I’m going to have to try it out!
We use tons of cilantro especially in our mexican dishes. Throwing together a mexican pasta dish is wonderful and full of flavors. We would eat this with some pulled pork sandwiches.
Cilantro is my favorite herb! My mom and I always joked about it because she didn’t like it and I when a recipe calls for it, I usually double the amount. I love it in homemade salsa and your pasta recipe looks amazing.
That sounds really good. I think cilantro is one of those things people love or hate. I happen to love it :)