Mexican pasta salad is an unbelievably easy and flavorful pasta salad filled with colorful ingredients like black beans, tomatoes, and corn. With a creamy dressing and spices from onion, cilantro, and cumin, this delicious pasta salad will be the hit of your summer barbecues for sure! We love any pasta salad at our house! Orzo Pasta Salad and Kale Pasta salad are two other must-try recipes that my family cannot get enough of!
Easy Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe
Summer calls for easily portable food that can be made ahead, and most importantly, something that will be a huge hit with everyone on your block! Pasta salads are the perfect dish that checks all those boxes. They are a frequently requested side that is easy to make ahead and travels well. One of the best things about this recipe is that I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Well, except for the tomatoes, but soon I will have plenty of fresh tomatoes in my garden! The dressing is a creamy salsa dressing and makes this salad so flavorful. Use a jarred salsa that you really like since that is where a lot of the flavor will come from. I used salad macaroni (aka salad Roni or ditalini) because that is what my mom always uses, but you can use another type of pasta if you prefer. This Mexican pasta salad is the perfect side dish recipe, and you will be so happy you found it just in time for your summer barbecues!
What’s in Mexican Pasta Salad?
So, I pretty much think Feta cheese is the best thing ever. I put that stuff on everything. I love, love, love it on Mexican food. So, when I found this Mexican pasta salad included Feta cheese, I was sold! The creamy crumbles add so much flavor, and I loved it (as always) in this pasta salad! You can either stir some into the salad, use it as a garnish on top, or leave it out entirely if you are not a super fan like me.
Salad
Farfalle: Use some farfalle (bowtie) pasta that can easily be scooped up in a bite with the other ingredients.Black beans: Rinse before adding into mixture.Avocado: I always try and use large avocados… The more the better! Corn: Drain then add to the mixture for sweetness and texture.Roma tomatoes: Dice so that they will mix into the salad and you will be able to scoop up some of the sweet flavors in every bite. You can use cherry tomatoes too! Green onions: Finely chopped these give great color to your dish and a bright earthy flavor.Red Onion: Finely chop so that you do not bite into a big piece of onion. The sharp flavor is great with some of the other more mild ingredients.Cilantro: My cilantro is growing like crazy in my garden right now. When I chop up some to add to the mix the scent is amazing!Feta cheese: Optional if you want a creamy burst of flavor.
Salad Dressing
Salsa: Use a fresh salsa with flavors you love.Sour cream: Adds texture and flavorMayonnaise: Adds creaminess to the dressing.Garlic:minced or pressedCumin: Great earthy spice gives this dressing a hit of flavor.Salt and pepper: To tasteLime juice: To taste- this will add some freshness to the salad. Don’t skip it!
How to Make Mexican Pasta Salad:
The steps for making this Mexican pasta salad are so easy to follow, and there is no way to mess this recipe up! Just swap out the ingredients for your favorites, following the same steps, and you will have a homemade pasta salad ready to go! Once you have this process down, you can make any pasta salad you want.
Pasta: Use any type of pasta noodle you love. This recipe calls for farfalle pasta. Other popular varieties include elbow macaroni, penne, and shells.Food sensitivity: Gluten-free noodles will also work great in this recipe.Heat: Adjust the spiciness of your Mexican pasta salad by using hot, medium, or mild salsa.Cheese: There are many different varieties of cheese that would be amazing in this pasta salad. Try Monterey jack or any that you love.
Refrigerator: Cooked pasta salad will store well for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.Freezer: When properly stored pasta salad will be good in a freezer for 1-2 months. After thawing in the refrigerator eat within 3 days. If you thaw in the microwave eat immediately then discard.
Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad
Cranberry Feta Bowtie Salad with Spinach
Greek Broccoli Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
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