Chipotle Sweet Potato Pasta Salad
This Chipotle Sweet Potato Pasta Salad is filled with roasted sweet potato, chickpeas, pasta, red onion, cilantro & a creamy vegan chipotle dressing.
Spring is right around the corner, which means I have salads on the brain. This Chipotle Sweet Potato Pasta Salad will quickly rise to the top of your salad rotation. It is filling, healthy and the perfect salad to share with friends. Make it for meal prep and eat it all week!
How to Make the Sweet Potatoes
These sweet potatoes are the perfect addition to a pasta salad. I know it might sound weird, but they add a little bit of crunch and sweetness to the salad that is amazing!
Chop a couple sweet potatoes into squares and add them to a bowl with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper. Give everything a good toss and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes, flip and cook for another 10 minutes. The sweet potatoes should be tender inside with a little bit of crunch on the outside.
How to Make Chipotle Dressing
This chipotle dressing is SO GOOD! It is creamy, slightly spicy, a little smoky and 100% delicious. It also couldn’t be easier. Grab your ingredients:
- vegan mayo – you can find my favorite one here.
- olive oil
- garlic
- chipotles in adobo
- adobo sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- cilantro
- basil
Add everything to a food processor and pulse until combined. Scrape down the sides as you go and give it a taste before setting aside.
How to Serve
To assemble the salad, add cooked pasta, drained chickpeas, red onion, cilantro, green onion and the sweet potatoes to a super large bowl. Pour the dressing over everything and give it a good toss. Top with some avocado slices and more fresh herbs.
You can serve this salad at room temperature or chilled. I also like to add a little hot sauce to mine…but I’m a spice addict, soooooo.
This salad can be made ahead of time for meal prepping or served at a party! I would keep the dressing separate until you are ready to serve so that the pasta doesn’t absorb it all.
Need More Recipe Inspo? Check these Out!
Did you Make this Recipe?
If you made this Chipotle Sweet Potato Pasta Salad I would LOVE to hear what you thought. Be sure to drop a comment and a rating below! You can also tag me on social media if you snapped a photo. I LOVE seeing your recreations!
Chipotle Sweet Potato Pasta Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SWEET POTATOES
- 2 medium sweet potatoes cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
FOR THE CHIPOTLE DRESSING
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-2 chipotles from a can
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the chipotle can
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 5 basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- 1 pound short pasta
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado diced
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all of the sweet potato ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
- Add the pasta, sweet potatoes and remaining salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over everything and toss to coat evenly. Top with avocado slices & serve at room temperature or cold.
Video
Do you think it’s possible to use vegan plain yogurt instead of mayo?
It can work – you will get more of a tart flavor from the yogurt, so you will need to adjust some of the seasonings (and add salt) to balance that.
We LOVE this!! Only changes I will try next time… toasting the chick peas and squeezing a lime on top for serving. Wish i would have held off a small portion for my toddler without the sauce. But my husband and I LOVED it!!! Fun delicious twist! Will make it again!
I’m not kidding when I say this is the best tasting pasta salad I have ever had in my life and one of the best recipes I’ve ever made!! It has SO much amazing flavor and the chipotle dressing is phenomenal. 10000/10!! I will definitely be making this for the next potluck or party I go to and I know everyone will be so impressed! Thank you!
Thanksssss Gina! So glad you liked it!