Taco Pasta Salad with Avocado Dressing
Taco Pasta Salad is loaded with savory, seasoned ground beef, black beans, tomatoes, green onions, corn and jalapenos. Tossed in a cool, creamy avocado cilantro dressing with a squeeze of lime, this is an easy Tex Mex recipe for cookouts, potlucks, tailgates and family gatherings.
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Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb rotini pasta
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
- 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
- 10 oz grape tomatoes, halved or diced
- 2-3 green onions, sliced
- 2 medium jalapenos, deseeded, deveined and diced
Avocado Dressing
- 1 med- lg avocado, halved & pitted
- 8 oz sour cream
- ⅓ C chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ tsp coarse black pepper
- 1 med lime, juiced
Instructions
- Add pasta to a large pot of salted, boiling water. Cook pasta for 7-8 minutes or until al dente. Remove pasta pot from heat. Drain pasta in a colander. Rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the taco seasoned ground beef. Brown ground beef, in a large skillet on the stovetop. Add taco seasoning and ½ -1 C of water to browned meat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a food processor, add all ingredients for salad dressing and mix on low until smooth. If you would like a thinner dressing, add water and pulse. Repeat until desired thinness is achieved. Set aside.
- Chop and prep tomatoes, green onions, jalapenos, corn and beans. Add to a large bowl, along with taco meat and pasta. Toss well. Pour all of dressing over the top. Toss again until all ingredients are well coated. Serve immediately or chill for at least one hour and serve cold.