Today, I’m bringing you a customizable recipe for chipotle ranch pasta salad. If you like things a little spicy, you’ll really enjoy this chipotle macaroni salad with Mexican-inspired flavors.
The chipotle dressing is ranch-based and it’s nice and smoky with a little heat to it. Feel free just to make the dressing and serve it as a dip for chips or vegetables. But why not go one step farther and mix it into your favorite short pasta shapes?
I really hope you guys enjoy this Mexican macaroni salad. Feel free to add whatever Mexican or Tex-Mex ingredients you like. I have a similar recipe for Mexican pasta salad you can use for inspiration. For ease of browsing, here are all of my pasta recipes and side dishes.
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Chipotle Ranch Pasta Salad, At a Glance
✅Skill Level: Beginner
✅Skills: Cooking Pasta, dicing, chopping, making chipotle ranch dip, chilling
✅Type: Pasta Salad
✅Number of Ingredients: 12 in the dressing, 10 “mix-ins”
✅Prep Time: 15 minutes
✅Cook Time: 8 minutes
✅Chill Time: 4 hours
✅Yield: 6 servings
Jump Straight to the Recipe
First, Make the Dip
Really, pasta salad is just cooked pasta and cut up vegetables and cheese (and maybe meat) folded together with a thick dressing.
So, the dressing for this particular pasta salad is a spin on Moe’s Chipotle Ranch Dressing. But I make it thick as a dip rather than thin like a dressing.
The base of a ranch dip is basically half mayonnaise and half sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. To that, add some salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, and that’s a basic ranch dip.
PRO TIP: Basic ranch dip is equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream or Greek yogurt plus salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Add other spices/herbs/mix-ins to suit your taste.
To spice it up for the pasta salad, I minced up some chipotle in adobo and added some of the sauce as well.
Some smoked paprika, ground cumin, and a bit of hot sauce, and we were in business.
If you like just a touch of sweetness to your dip, go ahead and add in a teaspoon or two of sugar, agave, or honey.
All you have to do is whisk everything together, and you’re ready to fold it into your salad ingredients.
The Mix-Ins
Since I was making a pasta salad, I cooked half a box of penne–about 8 oz.
While that was cooking, I added:
- a can of Ro-Tel
- half an onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- jarred roasted red pepper, diced
- diced pepper jack cheese
Why did I add those? Because that’s what I had on hand. No need for a special trip to the store or an emergency Instacart order.
Here are some other delicious options to use:
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- canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- fresh or canned corn, drained
- diced avocado
- minced pickled jalapeno if I wanted it even spicier
This is your Mexican-inspired macaroni salad, so make it with the Mexican or Tex-Mex ingredients that inspire you and that you have on hand.
Make It a Meal
You can turn this easy chipotle pasta salad recipe into the main event by adding shredded rotisserie chicken. You could even stir in some of my Mexican-style crack chicken. That could actually be really, really good!
Serve it with some smoky charro beans or as a side for a great smashed burger or a chicken guacamole sandwich.
Making something with leftover pulled pork? This salad would make a great accompaniment.
Storage
Store any leftovers in the fridge in a covered dish or bowl. The salad will keep for up to 7 days in the fridge but is best if eaten within the first 1-3 days.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
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Chipotle Ranch Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
- 8-12 oz penne or other short shape pasta cooked to al dente depending on your sauce-to-mixin-to-pasta preference
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn rinsed and drained (or use kernels cut off of 3 ears of sweet young corn)
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 1 can RoTel
- ½ medium onion diced
- 1 medium bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup minced pickled jalapeno optional if you like things really spicy
- 1 medium roasted red bell pepper diced (from a jar or made fresh)
- 3 oz pepper jack cheese cut in very small cubes
For the Dressing
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 minced chipotle in adobo or 1/2-1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the canned chipotles optional
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- several shakes of your favorite hot sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar honey, or agave (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions for "al dente."
- While the pasta is cooking, add the black beans, corn, avocado, RoTel, onion, and bell pepper, jalapeno, and roasted red pepper to a large bowl.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water for a few seconds. Drain well.
- Dump the drained pasta on top of all the prepped vegetables and beans.
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary.
- Pour the dressing on top of the pasta and then gently but thoroughly fold everything together until the pasta and vegetables are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Taste and adjust again if necessary.
- Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Enjoy!
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Nutrition
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Yes, spin away! So adaptable! To turn it into a dressing, it’s equal parts mayo, sour cream, and buttermilk, and then go crazy! 🙂
We absolutely LOVE chipotle ranch and this pasta salad was a huge hit!