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Today I’m sharing a super easy cold pasta salad recipe. Mexican style pasta salad is the perfect mix of canned and fresh ingredients so you can get dinner on the table in a hurry. Black beans, corn, and RO*TEL Tomatoes & Green Chilies really give this pasta salad a southwest style flair. I’m also a big fan of this Mexican style pasta salad because it is a complete meal. You’ve got a lean protein, fiber in the beans and veggies!
- 1 16 oz box Rotini
- 1 can RO*TEL Diced Original Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
- 1 can Rosarita Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can yellow sweet corn, drained
- ½ pound grilled chicken, chopped
- 1 cup spicy ranch dressing
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- Boil the pasta for 9-11 minutes, or according to package instructions. BEFORE adding the pasta to the boiling water, add a drizzle of olive oil to prevent boil over.
- Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Add half of the ranch dressing and stir. This prevents the pasta from sticking together. Stir the pasta every few minutes until it cools to room temperature.
- Add the rest of the ranch dressing and stir. Add in the RO*TEL, Rosarita Black beans, corn, chicken, bell pepper, and cilantro.
- Refrigerate 3-4 hours or until cold. Serve pasta salad cold.
Did you catch my special kitchen hack up in the recipe? That’s right, I can prevent your pasta water from boiling over! Just drizzle some olive oil in the boiling water. It was such a game changer for me when I learned that tip. I’ve been doing it for years, so sometimes I forget that not everyone knows about this. It doesn’t change the cooking time at all. If anything, the olive oil keeps the pasta from sticking when you drain it. No more babysitting your boiling pasta to prevent boil over.
For this recipe, I went to my local Walmart to pick up all my recipe ingredients. I love that they had a great price on the canned goods I needed AND the produce was so fresh. I mean just look at those bell peppers!
Pretty much all the pantry items you need for this recipe can be found in the International/Hispanic Food Aisle and the Canned Goods Aisle. It is super convenient because, in my store, they are right next to each other.
My favorite part of this Mexican Style Pasta salad is that you can easily change it up to fit your tastes. RO*TEL has so many different varieties that it is easy to change up the heat level. I wanted to make sure the kids enjoyed their dinner, so I went with mild. My personal choice would be the original for sure! You could even pick up a jalapeno from the produce department and really spice things up! You need to stay warm this winter after all. Some spicy food should definitely do the trick!
Want more recipes that are perfect for keeping your family warm this winter? Visit Yes You Can Recipes! and find your next great meal idea.
I should totally make some of this. Pasta salad is a party favorite and this one looks particularly delicious.
OH my heart I absolutely love this pasta salad! And I’m not a big fan of pasta salads! But this recipe will be the exception to the rule! It has all my favorites in this dish! Talk about an awesome easy family dinner! I’d totally go with the original RO*TEL for me, but the husband would definitely want something extra spicy from their line. I love how many flavor options they have now! -client
I have never had a mexican style pasta salad before. This sounds delicious what a great recipe to make for a potluck or get together.
I’ve never had a Mexican style pasta salad but all the ingredients sound delicious together. I’m totally trying this recipe this weekend!
Wow! This looks delicious and healthy. I guess I know what to prepare for snacks. Thank you for the recipe.
That looks excellent. I love cilantro. Pasta gets me into trouble but I can’t resist it.
Pasta salad is one of my favorite side dishes. This sounds like a great twist on what I usually make.
WAIT A MINUTE!!!! I feel like you just dropped a bomb and walked off. I so needed this olive oil tip, I had no idea. I could save myself the clean up time when my pot boils over. JACKPOT! I feel like I have a secret nobody else knows.
I love pasta salad, it is a great healthy meal and doesn’t have me in the kitchen for hours. I never thought to add corn and black beans to it though. I’m going to give that a try.
Great tip, and it looks like a very tasty recipe. I can’t wait to get into the kitchen and make this salad – I am sure that the whole family will love it!
This sounds delicious!! I have never had a mexican style pasta but I would love to try this!!
yum! this looks great! i love pretty much mexican anything when it comes to food!
Hubby likes hot stuff… I don’t, and with acid reflex I doubly don’t like it. I will have to see if I can whip this up for the hubby… bet he’d like it.
I’m not much of a pasta salad fan, but this looks amazing! Definitely something I need to try making.
This would be a salad I would love to try without the dressing though. I don’t like any type of dressing. The Rotel is something I use with cheese dips yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This looks absolutely divine. I love to try new things and this is on my list. Thank you for sharing.