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.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time11 minutesmins
Total Time26 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: make ahead mexican salad, Mexican pasta salad, mexican pasta salad recipe, mexican pasta salad with chili lime dressing, Mexican pasta salad with corn
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.
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 cilantro and enjoy.
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.