This delicious and veggie-packed Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe is simple to make and a wonderful side dish for all of your grilled summer meals!
A creamy Mexican pasta salad dressing with mayo, lime, and garlic coats pasta, avocado, black beans, and grilled corn, and the salad is finished off with salty crumbles of cotija cheese.
Mexican Pasta salad is such a colorful, flavorful pasta salad filled with black beans, tomatoes, corn, and avocado. With a taco-seasoned creamy dressing pulling all of the ingredients together, you’ll see that this salad is a huge hit at your next summer BBQ.
This is a big pasta salad recipe, and can easily serve up to 16 people as a side dish. So whip up this easy recipe the next time you’re asked to bring a side salad to share!
This recipe is fabulous! I’ve been looking at it for a while and decided to make it when we had family visit. I added black olives and sun dried tomatoes, even pouring a little of the sun dried tomato oil in the salad. It was a huge hit. The dressing was very tasty, I will definitely make this salad again!
Darlene
Need some other easy pasta salad recipe ideas? I have plenty for you to choose from! Try Italian-inspired Caprese Pasta Salad or Caesar Pasta Salad, or everyone’s new favorite, BLT Pasta Salad with Ranch Dressing.
Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe Highlights
- Lots of Healthy Veggies – Peppers, onions, and tomatoes are just the beginning! We’re also adding protein-packed black beans, creamy avocado chunks, and tasty grilled corn kernels to this salad. It’s colorful, delicious, and a great healthy option.
- Big Flavor – The creamy sauce for this Mexican Pasta Salad is flavored with taco seasoning! It’s an easy way to add the warm flavors of cumin, chili powder, onion, and garlic to this Tex-Mex dish.
- Easy to Make Ahead – Have a summer party to attend this weekend? Throw this salad together on Friday night or Saturday morning, and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to go.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious Mexican Pasta Salad, plus some notes about the most important ingredients:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Pasta: I’m using rotini today, but any type of short pasta can be substituted. Try it with farfalle, elbow macaroni, or shells.
- Sour Cream and Mayo: Together, these two create the base for the most creamy Mexican Pasta Salad dressing. Use full-fat dairy for the best flavor and results.
- Taco Seasoning, Fresh Lime Juice, and Garlic: To give the salad dressing amazing flavor! Use pre-mixed seasoning, or mix up a batch of my homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- Corn: I’m using two fresh ears of corn, and I’ll be charring the kernels in a skillet to add a bit of sweet, smoky flavor that makes this feel like a Mexican street corn pasta salad. If you don’t want to do all of that, you can use one cup of drained canned corn or thawed frozen corn kernels.
- Black Beans: Canned black beans are so tasty in this salad, and they add extra fiber and protein. Be sure to drain and rinse them well before adding them.
- Cotija Cheese: This aged Mexican cheese adds a delicious salty bite to the salad. You can replace it with queso fresco or feta cheese if you like.
How To Make Mexican Pasta Salad
Take some time to chop and measure all of the ingredients while you are boiling the pasta according to the package directions.
Rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process, and then drain it well before continuing.
Tip!
You can char canned or frozen corn in a skillet too! Be sure to start with thawed, dry corn kernels to avoid any oil splattering.
Best Pasta Salad Tips
- Cooking Pasta for Salad: You should follow the instructions on the box and cook the pasta until it is done. Drain, and then rinse the cooked pasta under cold running water. This will stop the cooking process and allow the pasta to cool down quickly.
- Chopping the Veggies: Take time to chop the vegetables for your pasta salad into small, easy-to-eat pieces. I like to cut cherry tomatoes in half, dice the onion finely, and chop everything else into pieces that are smaller than half an inch.
- Let it Chill: You can serve this salad immediately after mixing it up, but it will be even better if you let it chill in the fridge for an hour or more. This will help the flavors to meld and develop further.
Storing Tips
- Once mixed, you can store your Mexican Pasta Salad in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- Do not allow this salad to sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Since it’s made with mayo and sour cream, it will start to spoil if it’s not kept cool.
Mexican Pasta Salad Variations
- Make it Gluten-Free by using your favorite wheat-free pasta.
- For a Vegan Option, replace the sour cream and mayo with vegan alternatives and skip the cheese.
- Other Veggies: Anything goes! Mix in some shredded carrots, chopped broccoli, black olives, or diced cucumbers.
- Add a Crunchy Element with crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips.
What to Serve with Mexican Pasta Salad
This delicious salad is the perfect pairing for grilled summer meals!
Try it with Grilled Steaks, Grilled Chicken Fajitas, Carne Asada, or my amazing grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken.
For a refreshing dessert, try my fresh Mango Cake, Strawberry Tres Leches Cake, or easy Mexican Fruit Salad.
Recipe FAQs
Do I rinse pasta for pasta salad?
Yes, it’s important to rinse the pasta with cold water after cooking it in any macaroni salad recipe. This stops the cooking process so that the past won’t get soggy or overcooked.
Can Mexican Pasta Salad be made ahead of time?
It can! Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days before serving.
What can i use instead of cotija cheese?
If you can’t find this salty, aged Mexican cheese, you can substitute feta cheese for it.
What if I don’t like cilantro?
It’s okay! You can replace the cilantro in this recipe with fresh chopped parsley or skip it. The salad will still be delicious. You can also top it with sliced green onion as a garnish.
More Summer Salad Recipes
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This amazingly flavorful Mexican Pasta Salad makes the perfect side dish or a vegetarian meal!
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Mexican Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (450 g) pasta
- 2 medium ears of corn or 1 cup corn kernels
- 3 medium bell peppers red, green and yellow
- 1 15-ounce can (425 g) black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ small red onion diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 large avocado diced
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup (65 g) cotija cheese crumbled, or feta cheese
Dressing:
- ¾ cup (190 g) mayonnaise
- 1 ½ cups (375 g) sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 4 teaspoons (20 ml) lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Salt the boiling water, then add the pasta. Stir briefly. Cook the pasta uncovered for the time indicated on the package. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside.
- Optional: Place the ears of corn on the grill or cut the kernels off the cob then add to a skillet with a tablespoon of oil and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the grill or skillet and let cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, taco seasoning, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Mix until well combined. Taste the dressing, and add more salt if needed (it must be well seasoned).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, charred corn kernels, bell peppers, black beans, red onion, cilantro, avocado, and cherry tomatoes.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Top with cotija or feta cheese.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow flavors to meld together before serving.
Notes:
- In place of the fresh corn, use 1 cup of canned or frozen corn kernels in the recipe. You can char those kernels the same way, just be sure that they are thawed/drained and dry before cooking them.
- Taste and adjust the salt. The dressing should taste salty, and a well-seasoned dressing is key to bringing out all of the other flavors in the salad.
- Cooking Pasta for Salad: You should follow the instructions on the box, and cook the pasta until it is done. Drain, and then rinse the cooked pasta under cold running water. This will stop the cooking process and allow the pasta to cool down quickly.
- Chopping the Veggies: Take time to chop the vegetables for your pasta salad into small, easy-to-eat pieces. I like to cut cherry tomatoes in half, dice the onion finely, and chop everything else into pieces that are smaller than half an inch.
- Let it Chill: You can serve this salad immediately after mixing it up, but it will be even better if you let it chill in the fridge for an hour or more. This will help the flavors to meld and develop further.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Darlene says
This recipe is fabulous! I’ve been looking at it for a while and decided to make it when we had family visit. I added black olives and sun dried tomatoes, even pouring a little of the sun dried tomato oil in the salad. It was a huge hit. The dressing was very tasty, I will definitely make this salad again!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Oh! Sun dried tomatoes sound delicious in this recipe. Great tip!