Mexican Pasta Salad

This easy recipe for Mexican pasta salad combines the best parts of summer and Taco Tuesday! Enjoy this easy-to-make pasta salad with all your favorite Mexican flavors. We’ve added it to our rotation of easy weeknight meals.

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If you like Mexican street corn, you have to try this delicious pasta salad. It combines so many great flavors and textures and it’s similar to a street corn salad.

The great thing about this tasty pasta salad is that it also includes chicken for a nice protein boost. If you wanted to add this to a meal prep plan for lunch or dinner it could stand alone or work as a side dish.

Is this a spicy pasta salad?

You can easily control the spice in this recipe by adding more or less jalapeno peppers and taco seasoning. I don’t think it’s overly spicy. Just do what works best for you and your family.

If you are worried about the spice levels, just add half of the recommended amounts of anything your family feels is too strong, and go from there.

What do I need to make Mexican pasta salad?

To make this easy and delicious Mexican pasta salad recipe, we’ll be using pretty common ingredients. There’s nothing super out of the ordinary. Probably the only thing you’ll need to actually look for is the queso fresco cheese.

Hopefully, it’s pretty easy for you to find like it is for me. Check in the cheese section, or ask at the deli!

• pasta of your choice
• leftover rotisserie chicken
• canned sweet yellow corn
• canned seasoned black beans
• jalapeno peppers
• cherry tomatoes
• avocados
• fresh queso fresco cheese
• fresh cilantro
• ranch dressing
• taco seasoning
• water

You’ll notice that you can use whatever kind of pasta you like. It’s really simple, the pasta will soak up the flavors no matter what…so just use what you like or what you have on hand.

If you need the recipe to be gluten free, you can easily use your favorite gluten free pasta. In that case, the only thing you’d need to keep an eye on is the taco seasoning. You can make your own naturally gluten-free with this easy recipe for taco seasoning. Otherwise, check the ingredients to make sure there’s no hidden gluten.

How to make Mexican street corn pasta salad:

Step 1:  Place a baking mat or foil on a baking pan and spread the corn evenly over it. Place under the broiler, keeping a sharp eye, until it just begins to char. Remove and set aside.

Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk the ranch dressing and taco seasoning together. Add water if you prefer your dressing to be thin.

Step 3: In a large bowl, add the pasta, chicken, corn, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, avocados and 1 cup of the cheese. Toss with dressing

Step 4: Garnish with fresh cilantro and remaining cheese and serve.

This recipe will make about five servings. Feel free to double it if you want some leftovers, are serving a crowd, or just want to prep some extra in advance. I like to keep some extras on hand for lunches throughout the week.

This is an easy no-need-to-reheat weeknight meal. When it comes time for after school events, extra busy evenings, or when the kids need something they can serve themselves without cooking?! This is a flavorful winner that everyone eats without complaint!

Looking for more Mexican recipes?

We love Mexican food! Making it at home saves us money and time when going out to restaurants just isn’t possible. Some of our favorite Mexican recipes are Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe, Mexican Street Corn Salad, Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice and Taco Cornbread Casserole.

If you are looking for recipes to add to your Taco Tuesday lineup, any of those will make a great addition. Also check out this list of recipes specifically for Taco Tuesday.