Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • ½ pound (8 ounces) whole grain bow-tie pasta or rotini or penne (use gluten-free pasta, if needed)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
  • 2 medium (about 10 ounces) tomatoes, diced
  • ½ cup fresh, canned or frozen corn kernels
  • 1 cup lightly packed fresh parsley
  • 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
  • 2 small jalapeños with seeds and membranes removed
  • 1 medium lemon, juiced
  • 1 medium garlic clove, halved
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup raw whole pine nuts or slivered almonds
  • 1/3 cup avocado or olive oil
  • Ground black pepper, to taste

Instruction

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve about a cup of cooking water. Drain and return to pot. Set aside.
  • While pasta is cooking, make the pesto: combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Run the machine until mixture is well blended, stopping and scraping down the bowl as necessary.
  • Pour enough pesto into the pasta to lightly coat it once tossed (you might not quite need all of it). Add a small splash of pasta cooking water and toss well. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl and add the drained black beans, diced tomatoes, and corn. Stir until combined. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. This salad is best after it’s had a chance to marinate for about 30 minutes, but you can serve it right away if need be.