Southwest Pasta Salad

Southwest Pasta Salad is bold, creamy, and packed with fresh flavor. Rotini pasta gets tossed with a smoky chipotle ranch dressing, crisp southwestern vegetables, beans, and cheddar cheese. It is the perfect make-ahead dish for cookouts, potlucks, or barbecues. Every bite has a little heat, a little crunch, creamy texture, and a lot of flavor.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword southwest pasta salad

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 414kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Ingredients

1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 packet (1 oz) ranch dressing seasoning
2 limes juiced
2 bell peppers finely diced
1 can (15 oz) black beans drained & rinsed
1 can (14.75 oz) fire-roasted corn drained
1 package (10 oz) cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small red onion finely diced
1 jalapeño deseeded & finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

In a large pot, over high heat, boil water and cook the rotini pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water when it's done. Set aside for later.
^{* Be sure and salt the boiling water before adding the pasta in - I use about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt for boiling pasta.}
1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta
In a blender, add all of the southwest dressing ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour it into a large mixing bowl or serving bowl.
1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup plain greek yogurt, 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 packet (1 oz) ranch dressing seasoning, 2 limes
Add the cooked rotini, bell peppers, black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro into the large bowl of dressing.
2 bell peppers, 1 can (15 oz) black beans, 1 can (14.75 oz) fire-roasted corn, 1 package (10 oz) cherry tomatoes, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 small red onion, 1 jalapeño, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Stir everything together until it's well combined.
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
^{*Or you can refrigerate for up to 4-6 hours to help the flavors develop even more (the longer it sits in the fridge, the more the pasta and ingredients will absorb the dressing so it won't be as creamy).}
Serve the pasta salad chilled from the fridge, and enjoy!

Notes

Sour cream can be used instead of plain greek yogurt if wanted.
If you want a more mild dressing and salad here are some options - take out the seeds and membrane of the jalapeño before chopping, omit the jalapeño entirely, or only use 1 chipotle pepper or even half of one. The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are the "spiciest" ingredient so I would start by only using 1 or half of one if you want to cut the spice but still have that southwest zesty flavor in the dressing.
To make the pasta salad spicier here are some options - use more chipotle peppers + adobo sauce in the dressing, leave the seeds in the jalapeño, use shredded pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar cheese, or try adding some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper into the dressing mixture.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be found near the canned diced green chilies and canned jalapeños. No need to drain the can, instead just pull out 1-2 chipotle peppers + whatever sauce is on them, and add that into the bender. If you want spicier then use more peppers and sauce. Less spice, only use half or 1 chipotle pepper and not as much sauce. Or another option is to just use some of the adobo sauce and no chipotle peppers in the dressing.

Nutrition