Mexican Pasta Salad with Chili Lime Dressing

Last updated on May 8, 2019

This make ahead Mexican pasta salad with chili lime dressing is packed with tasty ingredients. Flavor comes in every bite from the Mexican street corn, chili seasoning, lime juice, Cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro. It’s a great Mexican side dish for tacos, potlucks and BBQs. Let’s get cooking!

This is the pasta salad people always remember at the potluck or party. It’s not the traditional Italian pasta salad people expect. The bite of corn and red pepper is sweet. And the cilantro, fresh squeezed lime juice and hint of chili is exciting. It’s easy to make this pasta salad a day in advance. It only gets better with the extra time in the fridge.

Ingredients for Mexican pasta salad with chili lime dressing

Like most of my make ahead salads, it’s easy to adjust the ingredients in this Mexican pasta salad to your liking. My version starts with al dente rigatoni pasta. Plus black beans and a bunch of veggies: frozen corn, tomatoes, red pepper, carrots, and red onion. The dressing is made with fresh squeezed lime, olive oil, champagne vinegar and spices including chili power. Cotija cheese and fresh cilantro are tossed in at the end.

What is cotija cheese?

Cojita cheese is a similar cheese staple in Mexican cooking as Feta is to Greek food, and Parmesan is to Italian food. Cojita is a semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk. The texture is similar to mozzarella cheese. It’s likely available at your grocery store, but if not, you can substitute queso fresco or cheddar cheese for this recipe. To store leftover cojita, wrap it in parchment paper and store it in a sealed plastic bag.

How to make Mexican pasta salad – step by step

Here’s how to make Mexican pasta salad.

First, bring the frozen corn up to room temperature. There are a couple ways to do this. You can thaw the corn for a couple hours in the fridge (in a colander with a bowl under it to catch extra moisture), or run cool water over frozen corn in the sink. If you’re not serving the salad immediately, then it’s easier to add the frozen corn directly to the salad and let it thaw while mingling with the other ingredients, in about one or two hours the fridge.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni pasta to water and cook until al dente. Drain rigatoni pasta. Drizzle a little olive oil on rigatoni and toss the pasta so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside in a large bowl.

Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, red pepper, carrots, red onion, and cotija cheese to the pasta. Toss to combine.

Make the chili lime dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the juice of one lime, olive oil, champagne vinegar, chili power, salt and pepper. Taste the dressing to see if it’s to your liking and make any adjustments needed.

Toss Mexican pasta salad with chili lime dressing. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy.

Tasty tips and notes for making Mexican pasta salad with chili lime dressing

• Don’t overcook the pasta! Cook the rigatoni it to a perfect al dente so it holds up in the salad.
• No cojita cheese? Substitute queso fresco or cheddar cheese for this Mexican pasta salad.
• To store leftover cojita cheese, wrap it in parchment paper and store it in a sealed plastic bag.
• If you’re not serving the salad immediately, you add the frozen corn directly to the salad and it will thaw in 1-2 hours the fridge.
• These glass bowls with lids are perfect for making and storing Mexican pasta salad.

Readers also like my other make ahead Mexican salad – it’s made with ranch dressing and packed with veggies.

Let me know when you make this Mexican pasta salad. Be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe. It means so much to hear from Sip Bite Go readers and I love seeing photos of your food! Don’t forget to tag me @sipbitego on Instagram so I can see how the recipe turned out. And sign up for the Sip Bite Go newsletter.

– Your make-ahead salad loving blogger bud, Jenna

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Mexican Pasta Salad with Chili Lime Dressing Recipe (Sip Bite Go)

This make ahead Mexican pasta salad with chili lime dressing is packed with tasty ingredients. Flavor comes in every bite from the Mexican street corn, chili seasoning, lime juice, Cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro. It's a great Mexican side dish for tacos, potlucks and BBQs.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 235 kcal

Author Jenna Passaro

Ingredients

• 12 oz corn frozen
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta

• 15 oz black beans drained
• 4 medium tomatoes insides removed and diced
• 1 red pepper diced
• 2 medium carrots diced
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1 cup cotija cheese crumbled

• 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 3 tbsp champagne vinegar
• 1.5 tsp chili power
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp cilantro fresh chopped
• 1 medium lime juice only

Instructions

1. Bring corn up to room temperature. There are a couple ways to do this. You can thaw the corn for a couple hours in the fridge (in a colander with a bowl under it to catch extra moisture), or run cool water over frozen corn in the sink. If you’re not serving the salad immediately, you add also the frozen corn directly to the salad and it will thaw in 1-2 hours the fridge.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni pasta to water and cook until al dente. Drain rigatoni pasta. Drizzle a little olive oil on rigatoni and toss the pasta so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside in a large bowl.
3. Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, red pepper, carrots, red onion, and cotija cheese to the pasta. Toss to combine.
4. Make the chili lime dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the juice of one lime, olive oil, champagne vinegar, chili power, salt and pepper. Taste the dressing to see if it’s to your liking and make any adjustments needed.
5. Toss Mexican pasta salad with chili lime dressing. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

• Don't overcook the pasta! Cook the rigatoni it to a perfect al dente so it holds up in the salad.
• No cojita cheese? Substitute queso fresco or cheddar cheese for this Mexican pasta salad.
• To store leftover cojita cheese, wrap it in parchment paper and store it in a sealed plastic bag.
• If you’re not serving the salad immediately, you add the frozen corn directly to the salad and it will thaw in 1-2 hours the fridge. 

Nutrition Facts

Mexican Pasta Salad with Chili Lime Dressing Recipe (Sip Bite Go)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 235 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10g 15%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 16mg 5%

Sodium 516mg 22%

Potassium 537mg 15%

Total Carbohydrates 28g 9%

Dietary Fiber 7g 28%

Sugars 6g

Protein 9g 18%

Vitamin A 74.5%

Vitamin C 40.7%

Calcium 12.4%

Iron 10.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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