Low-Fat Black Bean-Pasta Salad (Vegan)

Prose's Note:

This colorful creation has a lot more flavor and a lot less fat than traditional pasta salad. It's easy to throw together, and with lots of vegetables and vegetarian protein it can be served as a light entree or a hearty side dish, perfect for potlucks, picnics or packed lunches. It can easily be made gluten-free by subbing gluten-free pasta.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 6 ounces whole wheat rotini
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans , drained and rinsed
• 2 ounces sliced black olives , drained and rinsed
• ½ green bell pepper , chopped
• 2 carrots , grated
• ½ cup green onion , chopped
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 fresh jalapeno , minced (or other hot pepper) (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley , chopped
• 15 ounces chunky salsa (I like Pace)
• ½ teaspoon lemon pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl, mix the pasta, beans, and veggies.
3. Toss with salsa and lemon pepper. This can be served immediately, but the flavor is better if it is refrigerated for a few hours or overnight.

Reviews

[Chef #501948]

I love this! It's easy to make and has great taste. I suppose the taste does largely depend on the type of salsa you use.

[The Veganista]

It sounded appetizing but it wasn't. Sorry! The salsa was very, very overpowering in flavor and I didn't even use the entire amount listed. This has a lot of potential but it needs a lot of tweaking.

[Zielle]

This is simply delicious! I would probably cut the carrots back to maybe one or one and a half next time, since they were overwhelming the taste of everything else.. but even still, this was very yummy and I'll be making it again and again!