Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad
Looking for a flavorful side dish recipe for your next gathering? This creamy southwest pasta salad is the answer! Loaded with vegetables and a creamy, spicy dressing made from Greek yogurt, this pasta salad is a light and Healthyish recipe. Perfect for picnics or parties at home, this recipe only takes 40 minutes to prepare. I can guarantee that everyone will fall in love with this pasta salad recipe.
About this recipe
For this creamy southwest pasta salad recipe, I used a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs. Tossed with a creamy spicy dressing, this recipe is hard to resist. I used 0% plain Greek yogurt as the base for the dressing. It helps to keep this recipe light and flavorful. However, you can use any Greek yogurt you like.
Looking to make this side dish a meal? Try adding some of Smart Chicken’s new organic andouille chicken sausage links. They are slightly spicy, juicy and flavorful. They make a great addition to this recipe. I simply grilled my sausage links for 3-4 minute per side. Once they had a char and were heated through, I removed them from the grill and sliced them into coins. The coins are easy to eat and taste amazing with the pasta salad.
Storage
Store any leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Enjoy with grilled chicken or any of the new grilled chicken sausage links from Smart Chicken. Looking for more summer dish recipes? Try my street veggie pasta salad or my pizza pasta salad.
Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad
- 6-8 ounces radiatori pasta
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup jalapeno diced , remove seeds and veins
- 1 cup grilled sweet corn kernels , about 2 ears of corn
- 1 can black beans, rinsed drained, 15 ounce can
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , sliced in halves
- 1 medium avocado , sliced or cubed
- ½ cup packed and chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 ounces cheddar cheese , crumbled
- ¼ cup shallot diced
- 2 links andouille chicken sausage- optional , grilled and sliced into coins
Creamy Spicy Dressing
- 1 cup 0% Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch black pepper
Equipment
- pasta pot
- food processor
- mixing bowl
Instructions
Prepare the pasta:
- Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta according to the package. Al dente preferred.
- Drain the water, and drizzle the pasta with olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the dressing:
- In a food processor, combine the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Blend well.
Prepare the pasta salad:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, diced red bell peppers, diced jalapeno, diced shallot, sliced cherry tomatoes, black beans, grilled corn kernels, chopped cilantro, and salt and pepper. Toss well.
- Next, add the dressing and combine until everything is well coated in the dressing.
- Top with the crumbled cheddar cheese, avocado and a side of grilled chicken sausage.
- Enjoy!
3 Comments on “Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad”
I just made this for a quick dish to take to a picnic and it is wonderful! I used a gluten free pasta and taco seasoning and those were the only things I had to change to make this a gluten free dish. I love how easy yet unique it is!
So yummy and so easy to make! I made a slight adjustment since my store didn’t have shallots (bummer because I love them but wasn’t going to grocery store hop on a holiday weekend). It’s just the right touch of spice and you can adjust that if needed. I highly recommend this for any summer picnic, BBQ or spice up of week night meal! It’s actually a well balanced meal in and of itself!
This was so yummy!! Just the right amount of everything, not to sweet or spicy, just the right amount of tangy! I live in Canada so I didn’t use the smart chicken but the pasta salad was awesome!!!