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Mexican Taco Pasta Salad

Mexican taco pasta salad with taco-seasoned ground beef, black beans, corn, and cheddar tossed into rotini and a creamy salsa dressing. Every bite tastes like taco night, finished with crunchy tortilla strips and sour cream.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
chilling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 710
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad base
  • 12 oz rotini pasta
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 taco seasoning
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained
  • 1.5 cup corn kernels
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 0.5 red onion diced
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro
Creamy salsa dressing
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 0.5 cup salsa
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp taco seasoning
Serving
  • 1 tortilla strips
  • 1 sour cream extra, for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and cool
  1. Cook the rotini pasta to al dente in boiling water, then drain, rinse cold, and cool fully on a sheet pan to stop the cooking.
  2. Brown the ground beef until no longer pink, drain excess fat, add taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water, then simmer until the liquid is absorbed and cool completely.
Make the dressing
  1. Whisk together sour cream, salsa, lime juice, and taco seasoning until smooth and evenly combined.
Assemble and chill
  1. Combine the cooled pasta and cooled beef with black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheddar, and red onion in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss until every ingredient is coated.
  3. Fold in fresh cilantro and refrigerate 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
  4. Top with tortilla strips and extra sour cream right before serving for crunch and creaminess.

Notes

Pro tip: cooling the pasta and beef completely prevents the dressing from thinning and keeps the texture bite-ready. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; the tortilla strips are best added the day you serve. Freezing isn’t recommended because the pasta and dairy dressing can soften. For a lighter option, use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream (same amount) for a tangy, lower-fat dressing.