Mexican Pasta Salad
Mexican Pasta Salad - seriously delicious! Easy to make and great for a crowd! Pasta, red onion, green onion, corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro tossed in a quick dressing of ranch dressing, salsa, and cumin. Add chicken, ground beef, ham or bacon to the leftovers and turn this side into a main dish! YUM!
Mexican Pasta Salad is Great For a Crowd
Pasta salad is one of my go-to recipes for potlucks and cookouts. It is easy to make and feeds a crowd! This Mexican Pasta Salad is seriously delicious! We ate this for lunch last week and have it on the menu for our 4th of July cookout. I can't wait to have this again. Pasta, black beans, corn, onions, peppers tossed in a quick salsa-ranch dressing. SO good! You could even add some chicken or ground beef to the mixture and have a quick main dish!
How To Make Easy Mexican Pasta Salad
This Mexican Pasta Salad is very easy to make. Toss together cooked pasta, black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, red onion, green onions, and chopped bell pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together salsa, cumin, and ranch dressing. Pour that over the pasta mixture and toss. Add in some fresh cilantro, if desired. I know some people have an aversion to cilantro. So it is totally optional. Pop it in the fridge for a few hours and you are set! The hardest part is boiling the pasta!! LOL!
Feel free to mix up the vegetables in this easy Mexican Pasta Salad. Kidney beans, pinto beans, olives, avocado would all be nice. You can even add some chicken, ground beef, ham or bacon and turn this side dish into a quick main dish. I've done this with the leftovers and it is great!
There may be a kick to this Mexican Pasta Salad depending on what heat level of salsa you use. I usually use a medium heat salsa. I like Trader Joe's salsa or Mateo's Gourmet Salsa. I get the Mateo's at Walmart and Costco. It is crazy delicious!
Can Mexican Pasta Salad Be Made in Advance?
Absolutely! I prefer to make this the day before serving and let it sit in the refrigerator. That gives the flavors time to develop. This Mexican Pasta Salad will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With The BEST Mexican Pasta Salad
As I said, this Mexican Pasta Salad is great for cookout and potlucks. It goes great with burgers, chicken, pork chops and hot dogs. SO, pretty much everything! Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with Mexican Pasta Salad:- Sweet & Smoky Grilled Taco Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mojo Pork
- Taco Biscuit Bites
- Taco Ranch Grilled Chicken
- Puffy Tacos
quick, easy, simple, pasta, taco, doritos, fritos, mayonnaise, hamburger, salsa, corn, sour cream, black beans, for a crowd
Side Dish
Mexican, Tex-Mex
Yield: serves 12
Mexican Pasta Salad
prep time: 15 minscook time: 10 minstotal time: 25 mins
Mexican Pasta Salad - seriously delicious! Easy to make and great for a crowd! Pasta, red onion, green onion, corn, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro tossed in a quick dressing of ranch dressing, salsa, and cumin. Add chicken, ground beef, ham or bacon to the leftovers and turn this side into a main dish! YUM! #pastasalad #mexican #sidedish #potluck
ingredients:
- 1 (16-oz) package elbow macaroni
- 1 (11-oz) can corn, drained
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- 1 cup salsa
- 1-1/4 cups prepared ranch dressing
- 1 tsp cumin
instructions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, corn, black beans, bell pepper, red onion, green onion, tomatoes, and cilantro.
- Whisk together salsa, ranch, and cumin. Pour over pasta mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight.
NOTES:
Can use kidney beans or pinto beans in place of black beans.
Feel free to add black olives to pasta salad.
Add cooked chicken or hamburger to leftover pasta for a quick main dish.
All images and text ©Plain Chicken, Inc.
MORE PASTA SALAD RECIPES:
Sweet Macaroni Salad
Cracked Out Pea Salad
Mac & Cheese Pasta Salad
Pepper Jack Pasta Salad
Greek Pasta Salad
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