Cowboy Pasta Salad - The Keep At Residence Chef

This is among the most filling pasta salads on the market! It’s filled with meat, cheese, beans, and greens. Deliver to a BBQ or make as a fast and simple dinner at house and we promise there received’t be any complaints about leaving hungry!

In case 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 selfmade salsa verde dressing brings a smoky kick you’ll love.
Makes for a brilliant filling dinner, or deliver 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, selfmade dressing. It’s our secret ingredient! Keep in mind, pasta salad is simply 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 if you happen to prefer it scorching, make sure that 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 very best taste. Floor turkey or rooster works too in order for you it slightly lighter.
Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar brings slightly additional punch, however truthfully, any cheese you like will work. Pepper jack can be superior in order for you slightly kick.
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: Both one is ideal. Reduce them in halves or quarters so that you get the right chew. A mixture of purple and yellow tomatoes seems actually fairly too.
Black Beans: Give them a superb rinse and drain to maintain issues from getting soggy.
Canned Corn: Completely nice to make use of straight from the can, however you may also use uncooked contemporary corn or frozen corn.
Crimson Onion: Crimson onions are the very best for consuming uncooked.
Jalapeño: Completely non-obligatory! Recent jalapeños add a pleasant spicy crunch, or use pickled for rather less warmth.
Bacon: Crumble it up! Prepare dinner your personal or seize the pre-cooked variety.
Salsa Verde: Seize a jar of your favourite delicate or medium salsa verde. Use no matter warmth degree you want.
Lime Juice: Recent-squeezed is at all times going to have the very best taste, however bottled lime juice works too.

Alter the Warmth

Top-of-the-line issues about cowboy pasta is how straightforward it’s to tweak the spice. In case you’re into warmth, seize a scorching salsa verde, bump up the chili powder, and toss a number of additional jalapeño slices on high. Not a fan of spicy? Persist with delicate salsa and skip the chili powder and jalapeños. Straightforward!

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

Make-Forward Directions

This salad’s tremendous straightforward to make forward. You may whip up the dressing 1 to 2 days early and stash it within the fridge. Prepare dinner the pasta and floor beef the night time earlier than, too. Simply preserve them separate so every thing stays contemporary. While 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. Achieved and achieved.