If you're tired of the same ol' pasta salads, you HAVE to try this easy Mexican Pasta Salad! It has so much flavor thanks to a secret ingredient in the dressing, and is seriously easy to make.

It's a great side dish or weeknight dinner idea when you don't feel like cooking.

Like a burrito bowl... but with macaroni!

My husband says this Mexican Macaroni Salad tastes like a burrito bowl, but with pasta. That's a pretty accurate description, if you ask me!!

This Mexican-inspired pasta salad is loaded with black beans, corn, cilantro, tomatoes, and green onion. It's a great bunch of healthy veggie-forward ingredients to balance out the pasta.

And the dressing is super easy to make and just makes this macaroni salad taste fantastic.

Related recipe: Broccoli Ranch Pasta Salad

Pasta salad dressing with salsa

Salsa is the secret ingredient in this pasta salad dressing. I *LOVE* using salsa as part of a dressing, and I use it in my 3-ingredient chicken salad and my 3-ingredient tuna salad recipes. It just adds adds so much flavor and it's so easy to use.

I combine store-bought salsa (I love this Pace salsa for cooking!) with sour cream and mayo and it makes a great base for a creamy salad. If you want to go a bit healthier, skip the mayo and use low-fat sour cream, or sub some of the sour cream for plain unsweetened Greek yogurt.

I actually prefer packaged store-bought salsa for these kinds of dressings as opposed to fresh homemade salsa. There is something about the bottled salsa that makes it PERFECT for adding flavor to dressings.

I am always stocked up with several jars of salsa in the pantry for easy snacking and dressings. And it is AMAZING on top of chicken breast in the Instant Pot.

The other seasonings in the dressing are: cumin powder, chili powder, dried oregano, and fresh diced jalapeño.

Related recipe: Tuna Pasta Salad

Adjust the heat to taste

If you want to make a spicy Mexican pasta salad, then by all means add 1-2 diced jalapeños (even use the seeds, if you want), and use medium or hot salsa for the dressing.

But if you want to keep this pasta salad kid-friendly, I recommend using a mild salsa, and only adding 1/4 - 1/2 jalapeño, or even holding off on the jalapeño if you are not sure your family would like that. You can always add a splash of hot sauce if there is not enough heat, but you can't undo it once the jalapeño has infused into the dressing.

If your chili powder is spicy, go easy on that too.

Other fun add-ins for this pasta salad

This pasta salad is pretty darn good as it is, but here are a few ideas for how to switch up this salad:

Sliced, halved, or whole olives (make sure the pits are removed)
Shredded cheese, or queso fresco, or cotija cheese
Diced ham, or grilled chicken for protein
Diced bell pepper
¼ to ½ Finely minced yellow onion or shallot instead of green onions
Minced garlic
Pickled jalapeños (this is also a little less spicy than fresh jalapeños!)
Banana peppers

However you choose to make this pasta salad, I guarantee that you will love it! If you make this salad, please take a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook. You can find me at @babaganoshblog on both. I love seeing your creations!

Looking for more easy recipes?

Creamy chicken fajita pasta
Taco burgers with salsa
Skillet beef nachos
Brown rice taco bowls
Shrimp and veggie couscous salad (this uses the large couscous and is like a pasta salad)
Mediterranean couscous bowls with tuna (a 15 minute no-cook dinner)
Mexican lasagna bake
Spiced pinto bean salad with creamy avocado dressing
Black bean puff pastry triangles - a great snack for kids!
Coleslaw orzo salad - a favorite summer side dish for bbqs and cookouts
Roasted peach tomatillo salsa - try this for your next taco night!!

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Print Recipe

4.86 from 7 votes

Mexican Pasta Salad

If you're tired of the same ol' pasta salads, you HAVE to try this easy Mexican Pasta Salad! It has so much flavor thanks to a secret ingredient in the dressing, and is seriously easy to make. It's a great side dish or weeknight dinner idea when you don't feel like cooking.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Dinner servings, or 6-8 side dish servings

Author: Kate

Ingredients

For the pasta salad

8 oz uncooked macaroni - or pasta of your choice (half of 1 lb box)
salted water - for cooking pasta
2 plum tomatoes - (or 1 large tomato), diced
½ bunch cilantro - stemmed and chopped
3-4 green onions - diced
1 15-oz can corn kernels - drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can black beans - drained and rinsed well
Optional: juice of ½ - 1 lime - (~1-2 tablespoons lime juice)

For the dressing

½ cup sour cream - (full fat or low fat, or sub half with plain Greek yogurt)
½ cup salsa - (mild or medium)
¼ cup mayo
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small jalapeño - seeds removed and chopped
¼ - ½ salt & pepper - each, to taste

Special equipment

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and mix well (see notes about the jalapeño!). Let the flavors infuse into the dressing while you prepare the salad.
Prepare the macaroni according to package directions, drain, and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the pasta salad, including the cooked macaroni. Stir in the dressing. Mix well, and season with salt, pepper, and lime juice, if desired. Serve immediately or chill and enjoy within 3 days.

Notes

One full jalapeño makes a pretty spicy salad. You can start with ¼ or ½ jalapeño, then add more, if you are not sure about the heat level. Or use pickled jalapenos for a vinegary burst of flavor and less heat.
I used full-fat (regular) sour cream for the most flavor, but a low-fat or fat-free sour cream can be used, or sub some of the sour cream for plain fat-free Greek yogurt.
Other fun add ins:

Sliced, halved, or whole olives (make sure the pits are removed)
Shredded cheese, or queso fresco, or cotija cheese
Diced ham, or grilled chicken for protein
Diced bell pepper
Half of a finely minced yellow onion or a minced shallot instead of green onions
Minced garlic
Pickled jalapeños (this is also a little less spicy than fresh jalapeños!)
Banana peppers

Nutrition

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

This recipe was inspired by the pasta salad from Recipe Diaries, but I've made it so much and tweaked it and made it my own. I hope you love it!