Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

$Tex Mex Pasta Salad$

This festive Tex-Mex Pasta Salad with homemade Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette is a summer picnic side dish MUST.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican-American

Keyword mexican style pasta salad, tex-mex pasta salad

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 8

Total Time 33

Servings people

Calories 154kcal

Author Christina Koncker

Ingredients

1 12 ounce box tri-color rotini pasta
½ cup red onion, finely diced
6 sweet mini peppers I used 3 red and 3 yellow
½ cup black olives, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered I used NatureSweet Glorys
1 jalapeno, finely diced
feta cheese (garnish)

Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette

10 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 jalapenos, seeded
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. I like to cook my pasta to slightly al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Don't forget to salt the water!
Rinse pasta under cold running water when it's finished cooking. Let drain.
Prepare the vinaigrette by adding all ingredients except the extra virgin olive oil to a blender. Blend for 20 seconds.
With the blender still running, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Blend an additional 5-10 seconds once all of the oil has been added.
Add the pasta, red onion, sweet peppers, black olives, cherry tomatoes, and jalapeno to a large bowl.
Pour 80% of the Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette over the pasta. Fold gently until well combined. Reserve the other 20% of the vinaigrette.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let the flavors meld.
Before serving, add the remaining vinaigrette and stir. Serve topped with feta cheese (optional).

Notes

If you don't want this to be spicy, you can omit the diced jalapeno from the salad. You can also just use one jalapeno in the vinaigrette as well to further reduce the heat.

If you don't want to use the provided Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette, use whatever you'd like, but use an equivalent amount, ¾ cup.

Nutrition