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Home » Recipes » Pasta Recipes

Texas Pasta Salad

Published: Jun 13, 2024 · Updated: Dec 28, 2024 by Marye

Spice up your summer with this delicious Texas Pasta Salad! Bursting with bold flavors and colorful ingredients, it's the perfect dish for BBQs, picnics, and potlucks.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Overhead view of a bowl of pasta salad.
Closeup of pasta salad on a white plate with a title text overlay for Pinterest.

Nothing hits the spot during a Southern heatwave like a good pasta salad. Zesty and refreshing but hearty enough for the whole family, Texas Pasta Salad is easy and made with pantry staples, so you can quickly get back to all the summer fun.

Texas pasta salad in a serving bowl with a wooden serving spoon.
Table of Contents
  • 🗝️ Key takeaways
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 📖 Variations
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🍴 Equipment
  • 🥫 How to store leftovers
  • Marye's Tip o' the day
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 📞 The last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways

  • This delicious pasta salad combines mouthwatering taco meat, fresh vegetables, and tangy dressing made with limes!
  • Texas pasta salad is a perfect summer side dish, but you can also serve it as an easy main dish for quick dinners.
  • No more mushy, sticky macaroni. Read on to learn how I get perfectly tender pasta—it's a meal prep hack I swear by!

This easy pasta salad is the perfect summer BBQ dish and goes great with burgers, smoked pork, hot dogs, and whatever else you're tossing on the grill.

It's made with simple ingredients because—let's be real—that's how Mom did food back in the day, and that's how it tastes best!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

An overhead view of the recipe ingredients organized with text overlay.

📖 Variations

  1. I prefer lean ground beef, but if you've got another type of ground meat to use up, it'll do the trick!
  2. Rotini pasta grips the lime juice dressing really well, but you can use whatever shape you like—elbow macaroni, shells, etc.
  3. Kick up the heat by tossing in a can of green chiles or chopped chipotles in adobo. Otherwise, garnish with a little hot sauce.
  4. Pepper jack adds great flavor to Texas pasta salad, but you can use cheddar cheese or cotija (similar to feta cheese) if you like.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.

Add the taco seasoning to the ground beef in a skillet.

Brown the ground beef and red onion. Add the taco seasoning.

Pouring the dressing over the pasta in a large mixing bowl.

Mix up the dressing in a small bowl. Add to cool pasta in a large bowl.

Stirring the beef and vegetables into the pasta mixture.

Stir in beef, black beans, red bell pepper, sweet corn, and tomatoes.

Combining the Texas pasta salad with cheese, green onion, and cilantro.

Add the cheese, green onions, and cilantro and comine.

🤫 Cook's secrets -

If your ground beef is oily after browning, be sure to drain off the excess fat before adding the taco seasoning.

🍴 Equipment

  1. Large skillet
  2. Large pot (of water) and pasta strainer
  3. Small and large mixing bowls

🥫 How to store leftovers

Keep leftover Texas pasta salad in an airtight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. It'll keep for about three days.

Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to take off the chill before enjoying. The pasta will soak up a bit of dressing the longer it's stored, so feel free to freshen it up with more lime juice and some olive oil.

Texas pasta salad in a bowl with a fork next to limes and extra cilantro.

Marye's Tip o' the day

After draining, give the noodles a good rinse under cold water. If there's even a little heat left from the cooking process, the noodles stick and get mushy. They also soak up dressing more quickly when warm, which creates a dry pasta salad.

💭 Things to know

  1. Let the ground beef cool down a bit before stirring it in.
  2. You can give noodles a better flavor by salting the boiling water until it tastes as salty as the sea!
  3. Unlike some macaroni salad recipes, Texas pasta salad doesn't have creamy dressing, so it holds up better at summer potlucks. It does have meat, though, so don't let it sit out too long!
  4. Have a vegetarian guest? This is the perfect side dish—skip the ground beef and add the taco seasoning to the beans instead.
  5. Skip pre-shredded cheese—fresh from a block is much better!
  6. Refrigerate cilantro and green onions in a jar with some water (like flowers in a vase) to keep it fresh 'til you're ready for it.
  7. Texas pasta salad is best at room temperature, which is great because you don't have to let it chill like creamy pasta salad!
A close-up view of Texas pasta salad on a plate with cheese and cilantro.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

Can I freeze leftover pasta salad?

I don't recommend it! The fresh veggies won't have a good texture after thawing, and the salad dressing might taste weird, too.

What meat can I use instead of beef?

If you don't like ground beef, leftover rotisserie chicken works great, too. Ground turkey, ground pork, or even meatless "meat crumbles" will also do the trick.

Can I use frozen corn in pasta salad?

Sure! Just let it thaw and drain it well before adding it to the mix. You can also use fresh corn in Texas pasta salad if you like, but you'll need to steam/cook and cool it first.

How do I keep pasta salad cold at a potluck?

I like to fill a larger bowl with ice, then nestle the bowl of pasta salad into it. The ice won't last all day, but it's a great way to keep it chilled while setting up and serving!

Also, cover the bowl with aluminum foil instead of plastic to better reflect the heat away from the pasta salad.

Can I prep Texas pasta salad ahead of time?

Absolutely! You can make this a day ahead of time. However, be sure to cool the pasta and meat completely before combining everything so the pasta salad keeps moist.

📚 Related recipes

  • My Black-Eyed Peas Salad is made the proper Southern way—no Italian dressing, of course! Some people add noodles and call it Texas Caviar pasta salad. It's so good either way!
  • More of a traditionalist? Classic Macaroni Salad is always a great choice, and this one tastes just like Mom used to make.
  • Perfectly creamy and with flavors so good you can't even describe 'em, every potluck needs a Homemade Potato Salad.
  • Closeup of pasta salad.
    Italian Pasta Salad
  • Closeup overhead view of the macaroni salad in a bowl with a spoon in it for serving.
    BBQ Macaroni Salad
  • Overhead view of Italian cheese tortellini salad with asparagus.
    Italian Cheese Tortellini Pasta Salad (Easy Recipe!)
  • Over head view of macaroni salad with a spoon in it for the feature image.
    Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad with Hellmann's

📞 The last word

Y'all, here in Texas the summers get hot and the last thing I want to do is cook at 5 in the afternoon when it's 110F degrees outside. Once that part of summer hits you'll find me getting up early and making a main dish salad like this Texas pasta salad early in the morning.

By dinner time the flavors are all melded together and it tastes absolutely divine! Don't even think about bringing home leftovers if you take it to a potluck.

It literally evaporates.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Overhead view of a bowl of pasta salad.

Texas Pasta Salad

5 from 2 votes
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Spice up your summer with this delicious Texas Pasta Salad! Bursting with bold flavors and colorful ingredients, it's the perfect dish for BBQs, picnics, and potlucks.
Course Salad
Cuisine American - Southern
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings:12
Calories:431
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces rotini pasta, uncooked
  • 1 pound lean ground beef, I use 97/3 but 90/10 is fine
  • ½ cup red onion, chopped)
  • 1 ounce taco seasoning mix, 1 package
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup lime juice, about 2 limes
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 15.25 ounces whole kernel corn, drained
  • 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded from a block. About 2 cups
  • ½ cup sliced green onions
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped. Optional

Instructions

Cook pasta and ground beef

  • Cook pasta until done to your liking. I prefer it on the softer side, some like it al dente.
  • Drain and place in a large bowl.
  • Set aside.
  • Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet, moving around the pan so it crumbles.
  • Add the taco seasoning.
  • Stir well, taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.

Dressing

  • Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cumin, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper in a small mixing bowl.
  • Pour mixture over cooled pasta, and toss to combine thoroughly.

Pasta salad

  • Gently stir in the ground beef mixture, corn, black beans, tomatoes, and red bell pepper into pasta mixture.
  • Gently fold in cheese, green onions, and cilantro until combined.
  • Garnish with more cilantro.
  • Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Store:
Keep leftover Texas pasta salad in an airtight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. It'll keep for about 3 days. I don't recommend freezing.
Tips:
  • Let the ground beef cool down a bit before stirring it in.
  • Unlike some macaroni salad recipes, Texas pasta salad doesn't have creamy dressing, so it holds up better at summer potlucks. It does have meat, though, so don't let it sit out too long!
  • Skip pre-shredded cheese—fresh from a block is much better!
  • Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 394mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 723IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

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    About Marye

    Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

    Comments

      5 from 2 votes

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      Love it? Give it 5 stars!




    1. Louise Neeb says

      May 30, 2025 at 11:19 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing this recipe

      Reply
    2. Sally says

      August 01, 2024 at 7:34 pm

      5 stars
      All Great Ideas

      Reply
    Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

    Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

    Welcome to my kitchen! ☕

    NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

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