Cowboy Pasta Salad
This cowboy pasta salad is smoky, creamy, and loaded with bold flavor. Packed with beef, black beans, bacon, cheddar, and a BBQ mayo dressing, it’s the perfect hearty side for cookouts and potlucks.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 505kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz elbow pasta cooked and cooled
- 1 lb ground beef cooked and drained
- 15 oz. black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 10 oz. Rotel Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed and finely diced (you can also do 2 if you prefer for more heat)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
For the Dressing:
- 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Set aside.
- In a skillet, brown the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and drain any excess fat. Let it cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, ground beef, black beans, corn, Rotel tomatoes, red onion, crumbled bacon, diced jalapeño, and shredded cheddar cheese.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, Greek yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and stir until everything is well coated.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. Stir again before serving.
Notes
- To reduce the heat, use only one jalapeño or skip entirely.
- You can swap ground beef for ground turkey
- If making ahead, freshen it up with an extra spoonful of dressing before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 505kcal