Home > Salads > Taco Pasta Salad Taco Pasta Salad July 11, 2020 | 16 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. This easy Taco Pasta Salad combines pasta, taco-seasoned meat, iceberg lettuce, black beans, and veggies. A homemade creamy chili-lime dressing is the perfect complement to this salad. Taco Pasta Salad It’s no secret my obsession for tacos runs deep; from these meatless Healthy Tacos to Shrimp Tacos to this Chicken Taco Salad to Taco Bowls and about 30 other taco recipes in between, there are a lot of taco recipes on this website. So, of course, there was a need to combine tacos with a pasta salad. Enter: Taco Pasta Salad. I’ll say it right now: This is not your typical taco salad, loaded with store-bought Catalina or French dressing, crushed up chips, and packaged Cheddar. While I’m all for using shortcuts and purchased dressings when it makes sense, I’ve just never been a fan of those types of taco salads in the past. To be fair, it’s most likely because I’m not a huge fan of commercial Catalina or French dressings, and always find myself craving a more “homemade” taco salad. That’s how this salad came to be. It has taco-seasoned ground beef, thinly sliced iceberg lettuce, black beans, veggies, fresh herbs, and… the most crave-worthy creamy chili-lime dressing. Taco Pasta Salad tips Use textured pasta. Choose pasta that has plenty of nooks and crannies to hold that delicious chili-lime dressing. If you can’t find bowtie pasta, I recommend miniature shells, rotini, or fusilli. Don’t use all the pasta. Most pasta salads call for an entire box of pasta, so it’s easy to go on autopilot and fix the whole box. However, this recipe calls for only 3 cups, so make sure to measure that out before boiling the pasta. Salt the pasta water. Since this pasta is eaten cold, the flavors tend to get muted. Make sure the pasta is well-salted as it cooks since salting is the only chance you have to season the actual pasta. Don’t be afraid to add more salt to the finished dish if it needs it. Read about how to properly salt your pasta water here. As a general rule of thumb, I add 1 teaspoon salt to 4 cups of water. If you have time, make the dressing in advance. This dressing improves if it’s made in advance and chilling in the fridge; the flavors meld together and intensify, plus, it’s just better chilled! Assemble this salad right before eating. This is not a pasta salad that sits well with the dressing. The dressing wilts the lettuce quickly, giving it an unpleasant texture. If making in advance, store salad separately from dressing and combine the two right before eating. Only dress what will get eaten the same day. QUICK TIP Since Taco Pasta Salad is a bit more involved than similar recipes (we’re making a homemade dressing), I call for a packet of taco seasoning in the recipe. That said, if you’ve got extra time or would prefer homemade, I have a go-to recipe to replace the taco seasoning packet. Here’s the recipe to make your taco seasoning from scratch: 1 tablespoon ground chili powder 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground paprika 1/2 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper 1/2 tablespoon beef bouillon powder (optional) Stir the seasonings together and use in place of the taco seasoning packet when cooking the ground beef. Recipe notes Corn. If you’re using frozen corn, I’d recommend letting it thaw and then cook in a dry skillet to slightly char it. For fresh corn, cut the corn off the cob and add straightaway to the salad, or you can grill it first. To see grilling directions, follow the directions in this Elote recipe. Lettuce. I use iceberg lettuce in this salad, since it’s the type of lettuce found in most tacos; feel free to swap it with romaine lettuce if you prefer. If this pasta salad is going to sit in the dressing for a bit, I’d recommend leaving out the lettuce entirely. It wilts very quickly with the dressing. One other note with the lettuce: make sure it is 100% dried before adding it in; otherwise, it makes the dressing watery. I love using a salad spinner to thoroughly dry lettuce. Make this recipe healthier. With a few swaps, you can ramp up the nutrition in Taco Pasta Salad. I recommend making the homemade taco seasoning mix listed above, swapping lean ground turkey or chicken for ground beef, and using fat-free sour cream in the dressing. Add some crunch. If you’re craving something crunchy or a tortilla texture in your salad, feel free to add in some crunchy tortilla strips — either homemade or from the store. More pasta salad recipes: Italian Pasta Salad with an Italian-inspired vinaigrette Asian Pasta Salad with a sesame vinaigrette Pasta Salad with a two-ingredient dressing Broccoli Grape Pasta Salad with a creamy dressing Greek Pasta Salad with a Greek-inspired vinaigrette FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Taco Pasta Salad 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe This easy Taco Pasta Salad combines pasta, taco-seasoned meat, iceberg lettuce, black beans, and veggies. A homemade creamy chili-lime dressing is the perfect complement to this salad. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Taco Pasta Salad 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe This easy Taco Pasta Salad combines pasta, taco-seasoned meat, iceberg lettuce, black beans, and veggies. A homemade creamy chili-lime dressing is the perfect complement to this salad. Course Main Course, Salad Cuisine American, Mexican Keyword Chicken Taco Pasta Salad Prep Time 20 minutes minutes Cook Time 20 minutes minutes Total Time 40 minutes minutes Servings 8 -10 as a side (4-6 as a meal) Chelsea Lords Calories 583kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $5.54 IngredientsDressing ▢ 1/3 cup full-fat mayonnaise▢ 1/3 cup sour cream (can use lite or fat-free)▢ 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice + 1/2 teaspoon lime zest▢ 1/4 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin and garlic powder▢ 1/2 teaspoon EACH ground chili powder, paprika▢ 1 teaspoon hot sauce or sriracha sauce▢ 1/4 teach each: fine sea salt and pepperSalad▢ 3 cups farfalle/bowtie pasta▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil▢ 1 pound (16 oz.) lean ground beef▢ 1 package (1 oz.) taco seasoning mix▢ 3 cups iceberg lettuce▢ 1 small red bell pepper, (~3/4 cup) chopped into small pieces▢ 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered▢ 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions (~3 onions)▢ 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro▢ 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed▢ 1 cup frozen or fresh corn, thawed or cut off the cob (See Note 1)US - Metric USMetric InstructionsDRESSING: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.PASTA: Prepare the pasta according to package directions (don't cook all the pasta; only use 3 cups!). Make sure to generously salt the water (I add 1 teaspoon to every 4 cups of water). Don't forget to salt the pasta water or the whole salad will taste under-seasoned. Drain pasta, rinse under cold water, let cool and allow to dry.GROUND BEEF: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add in the beef and cook, crumbling as you go, until browned and cooked through. Drain off any fat as needed. Add in the taco seasoning and stir until coated. Set aside to cool to room temperature.SALAD ASSEMBLY: Stir together the cooled pasta and cooled beef mixture, lettuce, chopped peppers, quartered cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced green onions, finely chopped cilantro, drained and rinsed black beans, and corn (See Note 1). Gently toss to combine. DRESSING: Give the dressing another quick stir and then pour over the salad. Gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust any seasonings to personal preference, adding more salt and/or pepper as needed. Enjoy immediately!STORAGE: Salad is best enjoyed soon after being dressed; it does not sit well with the dressing. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Corn: If using frozen corn, I recommend letting it thaw and then cooking in a dry skillet to slightly char it. For fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and add straightaway to the salad, or it can be grilled first. To see grilling directions, follow the directions in this Elote recipe. Nutrition FactsServing: 10servings | Calories: 583kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 707mg | Potassium: 834mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2601IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 4mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
What a terrific recipe! I am a huge fan of pasta salads, especially for a summer barbecue. This is definitely a fantastic version 🙂 Reply
Oh, I love this! Pasta and tacos. <3 I love any excuse to eat them together in the same meal! All of your quick and easy meals always look so great, Chelsea! 🙂 Reply
This recipe is so delicious and easy to make. Instead of a side dish, we ate it for our main course. I used spiral pasta, it turned out great. I’m sure it will be a repeated favorite. Oh, I added Doritos for that crunch we all like. Reply
this looks great but not a a fan at all of mayonaisse…can i just double the sour cream ot use plain yogurt in place of mayo? Reply
I haven’t tried anything in place of the mayo so I’m not really sure what would work well. Extra sour cream might be okay, but I imagine it would make the dressing more sour and acidic than it should be. Reply
This is a great summer dish! Thanks to the note about the dressing, we didn’t dress the whole dish since we knew we’d have leftovers. The change I’d make for my fam in the future is to omit the lettuce until we got ready to eat. Add the lettuce to the bowl/plate, then add the pasta salad to that. No more wilted lettuce in the leftovers. If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to make the dressing, a chipolte ranch from the grocery store also pairs well with it! Reply