Texas Pasta Salad

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

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 431kcal

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