Mango Avocado Summer Macaroni Pasta Salad with grilled Corn and Pineapple

Tropical Summer style Macaroni Pasta Salad loaded with fresh mango, avocado, grilled pineapple, roasted crispy spicy corn, ossed in a delicious cilantro jalapeño tangy mayonnaise ranch dressing with a hint of garlic.

Creamy, vegetarian, delicious, quick and easy summer time macaroni pasta salad that is so perfect for barbecue get togethers, picnics, or grill parties, or something to carry for a crowd when you are celebrating spring or summer in the park outside. Serve it as an appetiser, or as a side with your burgers (interested to make these veggie beetroot quinoa burgers?)  or enjoy it as it is like a whole pasta dish. If you are looking for recipe ideas or dishes to carry to your next house party or pot luck, you have come to the right place.

Made with simple ingredients, this yummy cold creamy macaroni salad is an excellent large serving, crowd pleasing recipe that gives you so many flavors and textures in one single summer recipe:

• the sweetness of the fresh mangoes,
• the juicy grilled pineapples,
• freshness of  perfectly ripe cold avocados,
• tangy, creamy and lemony cilantro jalapeño ranch,
• tossed in macaroni,
• topped with spicy crunchy or toasted corn that is roasted in the oven.

ALL IN ONE. So summery, so tropical, so vibrant & so delicious - the perfect Hawaiian style pasta salad that is ready in thirty minutes.

Honestly, this is more like a fruit pasta salad that is balanced with a delicious tangy mayonnaise ranch salad dressing made with cilantro, lemon juice, a couple of cloves of garlic and some extra virgin olive oil. 

How to make mango avocado summer macaroni pasta salad with roasted corn and pineapple?

For the base of this Hawaiian/ tropical salad, we are using pasta as the base. By pasta, I mean macaroni, which I feel is the perfect fit for a summer pasta salad. Tiny, little, adorable and the size matches perfectly with chunks of mango, pineapple and avocado, which are added to this pasta salad. 

If you dont have macaroni, or dont like it, you can use whatever pasta you have in your pantry: fusilli works well too, so does penne or farfalle. Spaghetti would be my last choice, but yes, you can use that kind too, for this summer pasta salad recipe.

Ingredients for tangy cilantro jalapeño ranch dressing

This easy cilantro jalapeño ranch dressing is so good and easy, plus its so flavorful with that small couple of cloves of garlic, a little bit of lemon juice. You would wanna keep eating it - so if you want to enjoy this tangy cilantro jalapeño ranch dressing as a dip, simple eliminate the milk and you have a really thick ranch dip ready in simple steps. Things you need for this easy summer pasta salad dressing:

• Mayonnaise: With or without egg - you do you. For this recipe for cilantro jalapeño ranch dressing, I used eggless mayonnaise.
• Cilantro: Just about a quarter cup of roughly chopped cilantro or coriander.
• Jalapeños: Fresh or pickled jalapeños for that spicy flavor.
• Lemon Juice: For the tanginess, just about 1/2 tbsp
• Milk: For thinning the dressing (dip) giving the texture which is neither too thin, nor to thick, good enough to generously coat every single piece of pasta (macaroni)
• Garlic: Just one medium or two small tiny cloves of garlic for added flavor.
• Olive Oil: Good quality extra virgin olive oil

How to make tangy cilantro jalapeño ranch dressing

Transfer all the sauce/ dressing/ dip ingredients to a food processor or blender and simply mix for a few seconds until everything is well combined and a creamy green dressing is prepared. Do not over-mix. Keep checking every 5 seconds. 

Ingredients for mango avocado summer macaroni pasta salad with roasted corn and pineapple

• Macaroni: Any pasta, but macaroni works best.
• Mango: Fresh mangoes cut in chunks or cubes
• Avocado: Perfectly ripe avocado. If your avocado is not ripe, wrap it in brown paper, or transfer to a brown paper bag, seal closed, and transfer to a dark closed place for a day and use when the colour has changed to dark purple (perfectly ripe) and soft - some trick I learned on how to ripe avocados at home (specially in India)
• Pineapple: Canned or fresh. I used canned pineapple slices. Make sure that all liquid is completely drained - use a kitchen cloth to ensure that the pineapple is dried out. Cut in chunks and transferred to the oven to roast for about 25 minutes. No oil is required to roast or grill the pineapple in the oven.
• Corn: Frozen or fresh. I used frozen for this recipe. Thawed and boiled sweet corn. Tossed with a little bit of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of paprika, transferred to the oven to roast until crispy and crunchy.
• Cilantro & Jalapeno Ranch Dressing: Scroll above for step-by-step recipe for delicious cilantro and jalapeño ranch dressing.

Assembling the mango avocado summer macaroni pasta salad with roasted corn and pineapple?

To a large mixing bowl, add the macaroni, chunks of avocado and mangoes, roasted corn and pineapple. Add the dressing & mix until all the pasta is well coated. Refrigerate for about an hour and serve.

More salad recipes that you might wanna try:

• Arugula Chickpea Salad
• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad
• Grilled Corn and Beans Feta Salad
• Refreshing Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate and Corn
• Asian style Barley Salad
• Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad
• Roasted Beetroot Salad with Goats Cheese & Walnuts
• Crunchy Barley Salad with Pomegranate, Pumpkin Seeds and Sunflower Seeds

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