Easy Taco Pasta Salad (Printable)

Vibrant Tex-Mex pasta salad with fresh vegetables, cheddar, and lime dressing for summer gatherings.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz rotini or fusilli pasta

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
04 - 1 cup canned corn, drained
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
07 - 1 avocado, diced
08 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Cheese

09 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

→ Dressing

10 - 1/2 cup sour cream
11 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
13 - 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnish

16 - 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
17 - Extra cilantro for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain through colander and rinse under cold running water until completely cooled.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled pasta with cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, diced red bell pepper, red onion, avocado, cilantro, and cheddar cheese.
03 - In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, taco seasoning, salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
04 - Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss gently using a folding motion to ensure all ingredients are evenly coated without crushing vegetables.
05 - Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld and ingredients to absorb dressing.
06 - Remove from refrigerator and top with crushed tortilla chips and additional fresh cilantro immediately before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It actually gets better as it sits, so you can prep it hours ahead without stress.
  • The creamy dressing somehow tastes like you put way more effort into this than twenty minutes of work.
  • Everyone eats it—kids, adults, picky cousins—and that alone makes it worth keeping around.
02 -
  • Don't add the avocado until right before serving or the night before at the very latest—it will brown and nobody wants to eat sad-looking green.
  • The dressing will be thicker when cold, so if you make this a day ahead and it seems too thick, stir in a tablespoon of milk or lime juice to loosen it up again.
03 -
  • Squeeze your lime juice fresh every single time—the difference between bottled and fresh is bigger here than you'd expect.
  • Chill your bowls before assembling if you want the salad to stay cold longer, especially on a hot summer day.
Return