This southwest pasta salad is made with fresh veggies, rotini pasta noodles, and coated in a creamy chipotle ranch dressing. Perfect for summer potlucks or poolside lunches!

southwest pasta salad in a brown serving bowl

Pasta salad is always a favorite side dish for potlucks, picnics, or lunches in the warm summer months.

Some of our favorite pasta salad recipes include ranch pasta salad, chickpea pasta salad, and tortellini pasta salad.

This southwest pasta salad features crunchy fresh veggies, cold rotini noodles, black beans, and the most delicious homemade creamy chipotle ranch dressing.

It’s inspired by my favorite southwest salad recipe!

It’s sure to be a hit at any bbq or potluck!

Ingredients needed to make southwest pasta salad

rotini pasta
fresh corn
lime
red bell pepper
red onion
black beans
cilantro
cherry tomatoes
chipotle ranch dressing

How to make southwest pasta salad

Step 1: Make a batch of the chipotle ranch dressing in a blender or food processor.

What is Chipotle Ranch made of?

This creamy chipotle ranch is made with sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, fresh lime juice, and a few spices. It’s creamy, mildly spicy, and so flavorful!

chipotle ranch dressing in a mason jar with a spoon

Step 2: Cook the rotini pasta to al dente according to the package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water immediately to stop the cooking process.

cherry tomatoes cut up on a cutting board

Step 3: Prepare the vegetables for the pasta salad.

Cut up the fresh ears of corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, and cilantro.

red bell pepper cut up on a cutting board

Step 4: Add the drained black beans, corn, bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro to a large serving bowl.

Once the pasta is cool and mostly dry, add it to the other ingredients in the bowl.

pasta salad ingredients in a mixing bowl

Step 5: Add 1 ¼ cups of the homemade chipotle ranch dressing and stir well to combine.

Chill the southwest pasta salad in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.

Avoiding dry pasta salad

Pasta salad will dry out once it is in the fridge for too long.

This dish will be best served after an hour in the fridge, which is long enough to marinate the ingredients with the dressing, but not too long to dry it out.

You will have about ½ cup of salad dressing leftover when you make this recipe.

I suggest saving this to stir into any leftover pasta salad to give it some creaminess when you eat the leftovers!

Are you making this recipe? I want to see! Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

southwest pasta salad on a serving plate next to the bowl

Be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow Build Your Bite on Pinterest for all the latest delicious recipes!

This is the perfect cold pasta salad recipe for any occasion. Try it for your next party, potluck, bbq, or as a side dish for summer!

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!

Yield: 12 servings

Southwest Pasta Salad

Name: Southwest Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 oz rotini pasta; 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed; 2 ears of corn, cut from the cob; 1 red bell pepper, chopped; ½ red onion, chopped; 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved; ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro; 1 1/4 cups of Chipotle Ranch Dressing

This southwest pasta salad is made with fresh veggies, rotini pasta noodles, and coated in a creamy chipotle ranch dressing. Perfect for summer potlucks or poolside lunches!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

16 oz rotini pasta
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 ears of corn, cut from the cob
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 ¼ cups of Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Instructions

Make a batch of the chipotle ranch dressing in a blender or food processor
Cook the rotini to al dente according to the package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water immediately
Add the drained black beans, corn, bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro to a bowl. Once the pasta is cool and mostly dry, add it to the other ingredients in the bowl
Add 1 ¼ cups of the homemade chipotle ranch dressing and stir well to combine
Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving

Notes

You will have about ½ cup of the creamy chipotle ranch leftover that you can stir into the pasta salad when you serve it, if desired. Pasta salad will dry out in the fridge, so this is a good way to add more creaminess when you serve the leftovers.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 147mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g