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–+ servings
Tex Mex Pasta Salad
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5 from 2 votes

Mexican Pasta Salad

This festive Mexican-inspired Pasta Salad features a homemade Jalapeno Lime Dressing and is a summer picnic side dish MUST.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time33 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Servings: 8 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 peppers)
  • ½ cup black olives (sliced)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes (quartered)
  • 1 jalapeno (finely diced)
  • feta cheese (or cotija)

Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette

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!
    1 12 ounce box tri-color rotini pasta
  • 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.
    10 tablespoons lime juice, 2 jalapenos, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon salt
  • 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.
    ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Add the pasta, red onion, sweet peppers, black olives, cherry tomatoes, and jalapeno to a large bowl.
    ½ cup red onion, 6 sweet mini peppers, ½ cup black olives, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 jalapeno
  • 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 or cotija cheese.
    feta cheese

Notes

To cut down on the heat, you can omit the diced jalapeno from the salad. You can also just use one jalapeno in the dressing as well to further reduce the heat.
*Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using an online nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 852IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg