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. Deliver to a BBQ or make as a fast and simple dinner at residence 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 great things. We’re speaking beef, bacon, cheddar, and veggies.
Our creamy do-it-yourself salsa verde dressing brings a smoky kick you’ll love.
Makes for a brilliant filling dinner, or carry 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, do-it-yourself dressing. It’s our secret ingredient! Keep in mind, pasta salad is barely 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 permits you to actually mess around with the warmth stage, so in case you prefer it sizzling, be sure that to make use of medium to sizzling 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 quick pasta like fusilli or penne.
Floor Beef: We like utilizing 80/20 beef for the very best taste. Floor turkey or hen works too if you’d like it a little bit lighter.
Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar brings a little bit further punch, however actually, any cheese you’re keen on will work. Pepper jack can 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 chew. A mixture of purple and yellow tomatoes appears to be like actually fairly too.
Black Beans: Give them a superb rinse and drain to maintain issues from getting soggy.
Canned Corn: Completely superb to make use of straight from the can, however you can too use uncooked contemporary corn or frozen corn.
Crimson Onion: Crimson onions are the very best for consuming uncooked.
Jalapeño: Completely optionally available! Contemporary jalapeños add a pleasant spicy crunch, or use pickled for rather less warmth.
Bacon: Crumble it up! Cook dinner your personal or seize the pre-cooked sort.
Salsa Verde: Seize a jar of your favourite gentle or medium salsa verde. Use no matter warmth stage you want.
Lime Juice: Contemporary-squeezed is at all times going to have the very best taste, however bottled lime juice works too.

Modify the Warmth

Probably the greatest issues about cowboy pasta is how simple it’s to tweak the spice. When you’re into warmth, seize a sizzling salsa verde, bump up the chili powder, and toss just a few further jalapeño slices on prime. Not a fan of spicy? Stick to 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 may whip up the dressing 1 to 2 days early and stash it within the fridge. Cook dinner the pasta and floor beef the evening earlier than, too. Simply maintain them separate so every part stays contemporary. Whenever you’re able to eat, all you’ve received to do is chop the cheese and tomatoes and toss all of it collectively in a giant bowl. Completed and carried out.