Description
Hearty cowboy pasta salad merges southwestern flavors with classic pasta goodness. Ranch dressing and crispy bacon elevate this crowd-pleasing dish that you’ll crave at summer gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 16 ounces (454 grams) box of bow tie pasta
- 1 pound (454 grams) bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 pound (454 grams) lean ground beef, cooked and drained
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Vegetables and Beans:
- 1 15 ounces (425 grams) can corn, drained
- 1 15 ounces (425 grams) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 cup scallions, chopped
- 1 ounces (28 grams) packet taco seasoning
Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes until perfectly tender, then drain and cool under cold running water.
- Crisp bacon in a skillet until golden brown and crumbly, then remove and set aside. In the same pan, brown ground beef with taco seasoning until fully cooked and no pink remains.
- Transfer cooled pasta to a spacious mixing bowl, creating a base for the salad.
- Layer crumbled bacon, seasoned ground beef, corn kernels, black beans, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced scallions, and shredded cheddar cheese over the pasta.
- Whisk mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in a separate bowl until smooth and well-combined.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad ingredients and gently fold to ensure even coating and distribution of flavors.
- Refrigerate the pasta salad for a minimum of 2 hours to allow ingredients to meld and flavors to intensify before serving chilled.
Notes
- Perfectly cook pasta by testing for al dente texture, avoiding mushy consistency by removing from boiling water just before fully soft.
- Drain pasta thoroughly to prevent watery salad, using cold water rinse to stop cooking process and prevent sticking.
- Customize protein options by substituting ground beef with shredded chicken, turkey, or plant-based crumbles for different dietary preferences.
- Enhance flavor complexity by experimenting with different barbecue sauce varieties like smoky, sweet, or spicy to match personal taste profiles.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg