southwest pasta salad

I often giggle to myself after I've taken pictures for the blog. I mean, really. Who eats a gigantic bowl of pasta salad? Well, in this case, I would eat an entire bowl of this pasta salad. As seen as above. I didn't eat the whole bowl, but I came close.

This is a pretty simple dressing for the pasta. Just mayonnaise, ranch dressing, distilled white vinegar, chipotle salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and onion powder. I told you it was simple. Whisk it up!

When you taste this, keep in mind that it'll be stronger than you probably want. Once you mix it into the pasta and the other fixings, everything will be okay. Promise.

The pasta I chose was mini bowties, but you can use any pasta with little nooks and crannies for the sauce to hide in... like rotini or shells.

Here are the fixings you'll need. One full can of corn that's been rinsed and drained, as well as one full can of black beans that have been rinsed and drained. Finally, I chopped up a four ounce can of pickled jalapenos for even more heat.

And cheese! Glorious cheese! I went with Monterey jack cheese.

Add in the pasta salad! Mix it all together and what do you get?! An awesome side dish... or a whole meal if you're me. But meal or side dish, that's up to you.

Southwest Pasta Salad
8 oz. mini bowtie pasta
2/3 cup ranch dressing
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 15 oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 4 oz. can pickled jalapenos, drained and minced
1 Tablespoon chipotle salsa, or sauce from chiptoles in adobo
2 Tablespoons cumin
1 Tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cooled. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ranch dressing, chipotle salsa and vinegar. Add in chili powder, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add in cheese, corn, black beans, jalapenos and cooled pasta. Mix together and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Keep chilled until serving. Enjoy!