Tis the season for potlucks, BBQs, and family parties, right?  And, of course you get the salad assignment.  I must admit, that’s my least favorite assignment.  I’m all about desserts and appetizers (because I get to eat them too), so my recipe collection in the salad department is lacking.  However, I threw one together, over the weekend, and it turned out great!  It’s filled with crowd-friendly ingredients, it’s colorful, and quite tasty…a great salad to bring to any gathering.

Mexican Macaroni Salad…

Let’s see, here’s what you need:

1 lb. uncooked rotini pasta
2 TBS. grated lime peel
4 TBS lime juice
1 cup ranch dressing
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 large avocado, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 TBS chopped cilantro
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 3.8 oz. can of sliced olives
1 4.5 oz. can green chiles, chopped

Cook the pasta, according to the directions.  Rinse with cold water, drain.

Grate the limes and place the peel in a bowl.  Squeeze the juice from the limes and add to the bowl with the ranch dressing, taco seasoning, and chopped avocado.  Stir.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the remaining ingredients: cheese, olives, beans, cilantro, tomatoes, and chiles.  Right before serving, pour the dressing on top and mix well.

* Dressing on pasta usually absorbs in a few hours and loses a lot of flavor.  As mentioned above, I recommend holding off on the dressing until you are ready to serve it within an hour or so.

That’s it!  If you want to make it more dinner-ish, add some chicken. 🙂

Mexican Macaroni Salad

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Mexican Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. uncooked rotini pasta
  • 2 TBS. grated lime peel
  • 4 TBS lime juice
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
  • 1 package taco seasoning mix
  • 1 large avocado chopped
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes chopped
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 3 TBS chopped cilantro
  • 1 can red kidney beans drained
  • 1 3.8 oz. can of sliced olives
  • 1 4.5 oz. can green chiles chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta, according to the directions.
  2. Rinse with cold water, drain.
  3. Grate the limes and place the peel in a bowl.
  4. Squeeze the juice from the limes and add to the bowl with the ranch dressing, taco seasoning, and chopped avocado. Stir.
  5. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the remaining ingredients: cheese, olives, beans, cilantro, tomatoes, and chiles.
  6. Right before serving, pour the dressing on top and mix well.

Recipe Notes

Dressing on pasta usually absorbs in a few hours and loses a lot of flavor. As mentioned above, I recommend holding off on the dressing until you are ready to serve it within an hour or sooner.

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