Description
Prepare a hearty, crowd-pleasing Cowboy Pasta Salad featuring black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, and a smoky chipotle ranch dressing. This salad is perfect for potlucks and barbecues.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound rotini or medium shell pasta
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing mix (dry packet)
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotles
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse it thoroughly with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, ranch dressing mix, adobo sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper until the dressing is smooth.
- Add the cooled pasta, black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, and cilantro to the bowl with the dressing.
- Gently fold all ingredients together until the pasta and vegetables are evenly coated with the chipotle ranch dressing.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the Cowboy Pasta Salad for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
- Stir the salad again before serving.
Notes
- You can prepare the dressing up to two days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.
- If you prefer a tangier dressing, substitute sour cream for half of the mayonnaise.
- For a spicier salad, add one finely minced canned chipotle pepper to the dressing mixture.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 550
- Fat: 30
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Unsaturated Fat: 22
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 12
- Cholesterol: 35