Cowboy Pasta Salad - The Keep At Residence Chef

This is without doubt one of the most filling pasta salads on the market! It’s full of meat, cheese, beans, and greens. Carry to a BBQ or make as a fast and straightforward dinner at house and we promise there gained’t be any complaints about leaving hungry!

When you love this recipe, you’ll love our “cowboy caviar” Black Bean and Corn Salad.

Why Our Recipe

Loaded with all the good things. We’re speaking beef, bacon, cheddar, and veggies.
Our creamy home made salsa verde dressing brings a smoky kick you’ll love.
Makes for a brilliant filling dinner, or convey it to a potluck or BBQ to feed a crowd.

A Bowl full of Cowboy Pasta Salad displaying the ingredients on top.

Half of this pasta salad’s flavorful goodness comes from our scrumptious, home made dressing. It’s our secret ingredient! Bear in mind, pasta salad is just nearly as good because the dressing you placed on it. Our cowboy dressing is made with salsa verde, lime juice, and loads of smoky spices and seasonings. The salsa lets you actually mess around with the warmth degree, so should you prefer it scorching, ensure to make use of medium to scorching salsa.

Ingredient Notes

Overhead layout of Ingredients for Cowboy Pasta Salad.

Rotini Pasta: Rotini’s nice for grabbing onto all that dressing. No rotini? Use one other brief pasta like fusilli or penne.
Floor Beef: We like utilizing 80/20 beef for the most effective taste. Floor turkey or hen works too if you’d like it a little bit lighter.
Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar brings a little bit additional punch, however actually, any cheese you’re keen on will work. Pepper jack could be superior if you’d like a little bit kick.
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: Both one is ideal. Reduce them in halves or quarters so that you get the proper chunk. A mixture of purple and yellow tomatoes appears to be like actually fairly too.
Black Beans: Give them a great rinse and drain to maintain issues from getting soggy.
Canned Corn: Completely fantastic to make use of straight from the can, however it’s also possible to use uncooked contemporary corn or frozen corn.
Purple Onion: Purple onions are the most effective for consuming uncooked.
Jalapeño: Completely optionally available! Recent jalapeños add a pleasant spicy crunch, or use pickled for rather less warmth.
Bacon: Crumble it up! Prepare dinner your individual or seize the pre-cooked sort.
Salsa Verde: Seize a jar of your favourite gentle or medium salsa verde. Use no matter warmth degree you want.
Lime Juice: Recent-squeezed is all the time going to have the most effective taste, however bottled lime juice works too.

Modify the Warmth

Top-of-the-line issues about cowboy pasta is how simple it’s to tweak the spice. When you’re into warmth, seize a scorching salsa verde, bump up the chili powder, and toss a couple of additional jalapeño slices on high. Not a fan of spicy? Keep on with gentle salsa and skip the chili powder and jalapeños. Simple!

Closeup image of Cowboy Pasta Salad with dressing drizzled over it.

Make-Forward Directions

This salad’s tremendous simple to make forward. You possibly can whip up the dressing 1 to 2 days early and stash it within the fridge. Prepare dinner the pasta and floor beef the evening earlier than, too. Simply hold them separate so all the things stays contemporary. If you’re able to eat, all you’ve obtained to do is chop the cheese and tomatoes and toss all of it collectively in an enormous bowl. Carried out and performed.