Description
Mexican Macaroni Salad is a creamy, zesty twist on the classic pasta salad, loaded with bold flavors like corn, black beans, bell peppers, jalapeños, and a tangy lime-cilantro dressing. It’s perfect for potlucks, barbecues, or as a flavorful side dish for tacos, grilled meats, or burgers.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 8 oz elbow macaroni (uncooked)
- 1 cup canned corn (drained)
- 1 cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- ¼ cup red onion (finely chopped)
- 1 jalapeño (seeded and minced)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook macaroni. Cook the elbow macaroni according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down.
- Combine salad ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the cooled macaroni with canned corn, black beans, diced red and green bell peppers, finely chopped red onion, minced jalapeño, and chopped fresh cilantro.
- Prepare dressing. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.
- Toss salad with dressing. Pour the dressing over the pasta and vegetable mixture, then toss thoroughly until everything is evenly coated with the creamy dressing.
- Chill. Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together and the salad to chill.
- Serve. Serve the Mexican macaroni salad chilled as a flavorful side dish for any meal.
Notes
- You can lighten the dressing by substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream or mayonnaise.
- Add diced avocado or crumbled cotija cheese for extra richness and texture.
- This salad can be prepared a day in advance to enhance the flavors even more.
