🌽🎉🍅 That is an EASY and tremendous TASTY recipe for Mexican Pasta Salad with corn, cherry tomatoes, cotija cheese, inexperienced onions, and cilantro that’s all tossed in a barely spicy chili-lime dressing! The substances are very versatile based mostly on what you will have available. Excellent for lighter summer time meals, as a aspect dish for yard barbecues, picnics, potlucks, and extra.
Simple Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe
Don’t let Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, or Labor Day move you by this yr with out making this simple Mexican-inspired pasta salad recipe!
- Al dente cooked pasta is tossed with quite a lot of veggies together with corn, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, inexperienced onions, and cilantro.
- I additionally add a half cup of cotija cheese which is a dry cheese with plenty of taste. In Mexican cooking, it’s what Parmesan cheese is in Italian cooking. In case you don’t have it, Parm will work in a pinch.
- So as to add some gentle warmth (that’s very controllable based mostly in your preferences), I toss every thing in a dressing spiced with chili, cumin, crimson pepper flakes. and scented with lime juice. It actually lends south-of-the-border vibes.
Components in Mexican Corn Pasta Salad and No-Mayo Dressing
Pasta Salad
- Dry pasta: I recommend rotini, fusilli, farfalle (bowtie), wheels, small shells, or small elbow macaroni. Brief-shaped pasta works greatest in pasta salads.
- Veggies: I used corn, cherry tomatoes, inexperienced onions, and seeded jalapenos, however you actually can go loopy right here! Bell peppers of any coloration, cucumber or English cucumber, different chile peppers for extra warmth comparable to serrano chiles, and extra.
- Recent cilantro + cotija cheese: These actually add genuine Mexican taste inspiration. In case you can’t discover cotija cheese, finely grated Parmesan cheese could also be used.
- Wish to add extra protein?: Go for it by draining and rinsing a can of black beans, or add some leftover shredded rooster, and even some crumbled bacon bits.
Chili-Lime Dressing
- Greek yogurt: I attempted to maintain this pasta salad more healthy and didn’t use any mayonnaise within the dressing. Questioning about mayo or bitter cream? In case you choose to make use of bitter cream + mayonnaise, use 1/4 cup of every and omit the Greek yogurt. Or for an additional creamy dressing, add a dollop of mayo to your Greek-yogurt based mostly dressing. Dressing is very versatile in pasta salad recipes so be at liberty to mess around with it.
- Seasonings and spices: To style, use chili powder, floor cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, crimson pepper flakes, salt, freshly floor black pepper, and skinny out your dressing with lime juice.
Observe: Scroll all the way down to the recipe card part of the put up for the substances with quantities included and for extra full instructions.
How To Make Pasta Salad with Do-it-yourself Dressing
- Boil the pasta in line with bundle instructions, drain, and place into a big bowl.
- Whereas the pasta cooks, chop the veggies and place them within the bowl.
- Make the dressing by whisking collectively all of the dressing substances in a medium bowl.
- When the pasta is within the bowl with the chopped greens, pour the dressing excessive, toss to coat, style, and make any crucial taste changes.
- You may serve the pasta salad instantly, or permit it to sit back for an hour or two within the fridge earlier than serving.
what to serve with pasta salad
Storage + Make-Forward
Within the Fridge: This recipe will preserve in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Don’t freeze.
Make Forward: In case you’re making this for an occasion or occasion and wish to get a head begin, be at liberty to make the Mexican corn pasta salad the day earlier than, cowl tightly and refrigerate it till your occasion and serve.
Meal Prep: Usually, pasta salads preserve very nicely in order that they’re a very good meal prep possibility if you wish to make a batch and divide it into containers and preserve them refrigerated for straightforward grab-and-go work or college lunches.
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Pasta Salad
- 8 ounces small-shaped pasta, cooked (about 2 1/2 cups dry pasta; rotini, fusilli, wheels, small shells, small elbow macaroni, and so on. )
- 2 cups corn, (optionas: canned that is been drained and rinsed, frozen that is been thawed and drained, or recent corn that is been boiled or grilled and shaved)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved if desired (grape tomatoes could also be substituted or your favourite tomatoes)
- ½ cup cotija cheese, finely shredded or crumbled (finely grated Parmesan is the closest widespread substitution)
- 3 inexperienced onions, sliced into skinny rounds
- ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced very finely; or to style (if you happen to’re delicate to warmth, depart this out or scale back the amount to 1/2 to 1 tablespoon or as desired)
- 3-4 tablespoons recent cilantro, finely minced; or to style
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Pasta Salad – Boil pasta in line with bundle instructions, and when executed, rinse with chilly water, drain nicely, and add to a big bowl (that the veggies, cheese, cilantro shall be in).
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Whereas the pasta is cooking, chop all of the veggies, and add every thing together with the corn, cherry tomatoes, cheese, inexperienced onions, jalapeno, and cilantro to the massive bowl that you will add the cooked pasta into.
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Dressing – To a medium bowl, add all of the substances, whisk nicely to mix, style, and make any crucial taste changes. Tip – I choose this to be a bit spicier so go heavier on the chili powder and crimson pepper flakes nevertheless it’s all private desire.
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Mix – Pour the dressing over the pasta salad substances, toss nicely to mix and coat, and make any closing taste changes. Taste Suggestions – You are flavoring a number of substances and I have a tendency so as to add extra salt and pepper, and if you happen to’re craving warmth add crimson pepper flakes, a touch of cayenne pepper; if you happen to’re craving extra smoky a little bit of smoked paprika is nice. You may both serve the pasta salad instantly, or cowl tightly and refrigerate it to sit back it earlier than serving.
Storage: Pasta salad will preserve hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Serve chilled or at room temp. Don’t freeze this salad. It may be assembled as much as 24 hours and stored within the fridge if you wish to make it upfront of an occasion to save lots of time on the day-of.
Serving: 1serving, Energy: 373kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 16g, Fats: 6g, Saturated Fats: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 1g, Trans Fats: 0.003g, Ldl cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 828mg, Potassium: 518mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 834IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 162mg, Iron: 2mg
Diet data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
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