Table of Contents

1. What goes in southwest pasta salad?
2. How do I make southwest pasta salad?
3. Recipe

What goes in southwest pasta salad?

• pasta - of course! Any kind you want to use is fine, though I prefer rotini because it has so many nooks and crannies to hang onto the delicious sauce
• black beans - adds a special southwest touch to this salad. I usually use the canned variety for convenience
• vegetables - no pasta salad is complete without vegetables. I use corn, broccoli, celery, and peppers to give a nice balance between the typical pasta salad veggies and the veggies commonly found in southwest dishes
• cheese - I don't think I need to explain myself here; cheese makes everything better (and that's a fact!)
• mayonnaise - this is the base of our southwest sauce
• seasonings - the blend of chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper make our mayonnaise slightly spicy and incredibly delicious

How do I make southwest pasta salad?

1. Make your pasta in advance so it can be cold before you start assembling the salad. Rinsing the pasta after its been cooked helps prevent it from sticking together, which makes it easier to stir when you're preparing it.
2. Make your southwest sauce by adding the seasonings to your mayonnaise and stirring well. Ensure everything is well combined - no one wants to bite into a pocket of spice!
3. Put your pasta, black beans and vegetables into a large bowl, and then toss with the prepared sauce. mix the cheese into the salad after its been coated with the dressing
4. Keep pasta salad in the fridge until you're ready to eat it - up to 3 days. This is a dish best served cold.

This southwest pasta salad is a great way to use up leftover pasta, and veggies in your fridge at the end of the week. I don't know about you, but when I make pasta I either make enough to feed a mouse, or enough to feed an army - it is so hard to find the exact right amount of pasta to make! I usually opt for the army size so that everyone at least has enough - and then I can use the leftovers in this pasta salad!

Pasta salad is one of those dishes that everyone has a favorite recipe for. It's a classic dish that has been around for what seems like forever, and everyone seems to have grown up with it made a certain way. Usually, pasta salad includes some sort of pasta with some vegetables and a sort of dressing. This southwest pasta salad is a spicy twist on the classic creamy pasta salad. It is full of all the things you know and love in a pasta salad - and then some! This is a perfect dish to bring to a barbecue gathering or potluck. I also love to make this in the summer to serve with some burgers or grilled chicken. Every time I make this, I wonder why I don't make it more frequently, it is that good!