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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Southwest Pasta Salad

If you're looking for a quick and easy pasta salad recipe that isn't your run of the mill recipe, then this is for you. We've made this for quite some time. I make it as written, but Ryan Barrett Walkush swears that it would also be tasty with jalapeno peppers in it, so give that a try if you're adventurous.
This is the perfect dish to take to all of those summer cookouts!

Southwest Pasta Salad

Southwest Pasta Salad
16 oz. rotini pasta
2/3 cups Ranch dressing
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water.
  2. Place in a large mixing bowl. Mix with Ranch dressing, beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and spices.
  3. Chill salad in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes: 


Ryan Barrett Walkush LOVES this recipe (and he hates most pasta salads) BUT he is not a fan of onions in general. Therefore, you will notice that this recipe is written with a mere 1 teaspoon of onion powder. If you are a fan of onions, feel free to substitute this ingredient with some chopped green onions or a small diced white or red onion.

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26 comments:

  1. Sounds wonderful ! I think I will add Cilantro

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  2. Just my kind of recipe; I hate onions too! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. This was yummy. Only thing I added was cilantro. Spices were tasty enough that I didn't even add salt or pepper. Will be great with the fajita buffet we're planning for the 4th.

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  4. This was so yummy!!! I doubled it, and added 2 Chicken breast to it! It was one, more filling and two, added some protein too it!

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  5. This was awesome! I used a southwestern ranch dressing and also added chicken.

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  6. This was great! I added a smidge extra ranch, green onions and cilantro! Perfect for our Mexican themed potluck!

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  7. Glad it worked out for you, Anonymous! It's certainly not your average pasta salad! ;-)

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  8. Drooooling at my desk. We’re going to a family potluck on Sunday. This would be a perfect dish to bring! :)

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  9. Thank you, Rachel! Since this is one of our most pinned recipes, we've seen several recommendations to use Rotel instead of fresh tomatoes. You can also add more Ranch dressing if you prefer a creamier pasta salad. It's VERYversatile and definitely not the same old, same old! Have fun on Sunday! ;-)

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  10. Hi can you make it with mayonnaise instead of ranch I'm not a big fan of ranch?

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  11. Hi Linda, if you don't like Ranch dressing, give it a try with mayo instead. Might want to give it a final taste test before serving to see if you need to increase any of the other spices, since Ranch already has some seasoning and mayo does not. Enjoy!

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  12. If I use Southwest Ranch would you still recommend the additional spices?

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    1. That is a great suggsstion! Going to try that.

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  13. Hi Anonymous! My first inclination would be to say yes. There is a lot of pasta and vegetables to cover, and you don't want your pasta salad to turn out bland. However, a sure-fire way to tell would be to add the Ranch first and then taste your concoction. If you like what it tastes like, then don't add the extra spices. Good luck!

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  14. I added Cilantro and it was delicious! I made it for Labor day, the party was full of vegetarians that loved it.

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  15. Could you give me this recipe with amounts to feed 25 people?

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  16. Taste so good I can't stop eating it Yumm!

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  17. Made this salad for party at work for a couple of vegans. It was easy and tasty. Used southwest chipotle ranch and 1/2 the amount of cumin.

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  18. This was a hit. I used Wagon Wheel Pasta instead, to make it more "Southwestern-ie". It was yummy and everyone loved it

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  19. Mine turned out exceedingly spicy.

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  20. Thank you for a great salad that doesn't use bacon. Several family members won't eat bacon and I have so many recipes that I can't make when they come. We all loved this.

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    1. You're quite welcome! We share lots of vegetarian recipes on this blog, so make sure to check out our other recipes too! So glad you enjoyed it!

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  21. What dressing do you recommend for someone who does not like Ranch dressing or mayonnaise? Otherwise, it sound delicious!

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    1. Hi! I would maybe try mixing a fresh avocado with some garlic, olive oil, and lime juice until I got the consistency of a dressing and use that. (Avocados go great with other Southwestern flavors!) Of course, if you go this route, make sure to make the dressing to add to the salad right before serving so that the avocados keep their green coloring.

      If this isn't to your liking, maybe take a look at some of our other pasta salad recipes (under the side dishes heading). We have quite a few with different types of dressings, including a Southwest Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with a Honey Lime dressing.

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