Creamy Mexican Pasta Salad
A Pasta Salad With Pizazz
Creamy Mexican Pasta salad is loaded with vegetables and the spice of Pepper Jack cheese to make the perfect summer side dish. Make this a complete meal by adding some chopped up, grilled chicken and you can also meal prep it for your week of lunches.
I made this Creamy Mexican Pasta Salad on a whim and I am so glad I did. If you have followed me for some time, you may or may not know that we live part of the year in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
We live in a very small town in the Ottawa National Forest. For a lot of the time we have been here, we have not always had access to a plethora of grocery items to choose from.
Recently our town grocery store was bought by the local Chippewa tribe and completely overhauled! It looks amazing!
I went to town to pick up some things and was so excited to actually be able to shop and find things that inspired me to create a new recipe. We had friends over for taco night and after seeing the mini pasta shells on the shelf, I had the idea to make a Mexican pasta salad.
It came out awesome, and almost all of it was eaten up. I knew I needed to get it on The Tipsy Housewife as soon as possible.
The Recipe Card
There is a full recipe card at the end of this post. I will just share a few pictures, links, and information on a few of the products for anyone who may need a little clarification on the ingredients I used.
The recipe card can be saved, pinned, or printed for your use. There is also a hands free mode if you want to keep the recipe up on your device while you are cooking.
The Guacamole Mix
I love to use this McCormick guacamole mix, like in my recipe for Southside Chicago Garage Party Taco Dip. I also use it in this recipe to make a zesty dressing for the pasta salad.
It adds tanginess and a creaminess when added to the mayonnaise and sour cream. You will also add a packet of taco seasoning.
I use the Taco Bell brand taco seasoning but you can add any taco packet you choose.
Chopped Green Chilis
You can find these chopped green chilis at any grocery store. These are not necessarily spicy where they will burn your mouth or add heat but they add some tanginess and a slightly peppery flavor that will bring some zing to the vegetables.
You will really enjoy the flavor and texture of these.
Make The Dressing Your Own
On the recipe card you will see that I have measurements for the sour cream and mayonnaise. I did add that so you can add a little more or less of both the mayo and the sour cream if you like.
If you want a softer and creamier texture to your dressing, add more mayonnaise. If you want a little more tanginess, add more sour cream.
This salad is very customizable.
Veggies Make The Juice
You will be mixing up all the veggies for this recipe and letting them hang out for a bit. They will macerate a little and make their own juices which will enhance your dressing.
This is going to add so much flavor to your pasta salad. If you wanted to, you can probably get away with mixing this up a day in advance and let it hang out in your fridge.
I bet it would have even more flavor. I am going to try this next time.
Maybe Low Carb?
I was thinking that if you wanted to go low carb and still make this salad, it would be really good to try it without the pasta added? I have not tried it this way but when I was taste testing just the vegetables in the sauce that they made themselves, it was very good.
You could still add the creamy dressing and the cheese to keep it low carb. If anyone does this, let me know what your thoughts are!
Creamy Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe
A different kind of pasta salad for all your summer meals. A tangy sauce made from a seasoning packet, mini pasta shells, corn, kidney beans, red onion ,and a Pepper Jack cheese for a little spice. This is the perfect summer side.
Ingredients
- 1 box small Shells Pasta (16 ounces)
- 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise *can use a little more if preferred
- 8 ounces of Sour Cream *can use a little more if preferred
- 2 tablespoons of White Wine Vinegar
- 1 large Red Bell Pepper, finely diced
- 1 medium Red Onion, finely diced
- 1 pint of Cherry Tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 can of Corn (15.5 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon of Salt
- 1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
- Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
- Pinch of Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Onion Powder
- 1 can of Red Kidney Beans (15 ounces) drained and rinsed well
- 1 can of Chopped Green Chilis (4 ounces)
- 2 packets of McCormick Guacamole mix *pictured in post
- 1 packet of Taco Seasoning *I use Taco Bell taco mix
- 8 ounce brick of Pepper Jack Cheese, cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Boil your pasta shells according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and make sure it is cooled.
- Finely dice your cherry tomatoes, red onion, and bell pepper. Add these to a bowl and season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and chili powder. Toss to mix up the spices into the veggies really well. You can increase or decrease the spices but take note there is spice and salt in the packet mixes you use for the dressing.
- Add your chopped, green chilis to the vegetables. mix well. Drain and rinse your beans and add to the vegetables and drain the corn and add this as well then add the vinegar. This tastes better as it sits. I let it sit for about an hour.
- In a bowl add your sour cream and mayonnaise, the two packets of the guacamole packet mix, and the taco seasoning. Whisk really well until the dressing is smooth.
- Cut the Pepper Jack cheese into very small cubes.
- Add the cooked pasta shells to the dressing a little at a time and toss well to coat. Repeat until you have used all the pasta, then slowly incorporate your vegetable mix, mixing well to coat. Add the cheese in right before serving.
- You can top with sliced green onion if you like.
- This can be made ahead of time, refrigerated overnight, and served the next day.