Southwestern Sweet Potato and Black Bean Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta , such as penne or bow-tie
• 5 chipotless in adobo sauce , divided
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 0.25 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 0.67 cups olive oil
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2.5 tablespoons kosher salt
• 0.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can black beans , 15 ounce
• 0.67 cups minced red onion
• 0.5 cups chopped cilantro
• 1 cup cotija cheese

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2. 2

   Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

3. 3

   To make the vinaigrette; Place 2 chipotle peppers, plus 1 tablespoon chipotle sauce into a blender. Add garlic, oregano, honey, and red wine vinegar; blend on high until well combined. Drizzle in 2/3 cup olive oil with blender running until smooth; set aside. Chop remaining peppers finely and stir into vinaigrette. Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. 4

   Toss potatoes in 2 tablespoons olive oil, black pepper, and remaining salt. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray or line with parchment, and spread potatoes in an even layer on the sheet.

5. 5

   Roast in the preheated oven until browned, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside.

6. 6

   Combine cooked pasta with black beans, onion, cilantro in a large bowl; toss. Add potatoes and 3/4 cup vinaigrette, or more as needed, and toss gently (reserve any remaining vinaigrette for another use). Season with salt and pepper, and stir in cotija cheese. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.