Southwestern Pasta Salad

I'm glad lots of you love this recipe - I do, too! I *always* use less oil, and lots more lime juice for extra flavor. Sorry about the confusing way the pasta quantity was posted - use only 8oz of pasta for the recipe! The flavors really are better if you can make it a day ahead, but I usually end up adding a little more salt the next day... somehow it disappears overnight. Use ditalini pasta if you can find it - lots of surface area to soak up the dressing, and very pretty! I think it's hearty enough to eat as a main dish, or you could add some grilled, cooled chicken. Top off the meal with a slice of cold Margarita Pie, and your tummy will be VERY happy!

My entire family loves this recipe!!!! I made a few changes. I put 1 1/2 T Chili Powder, 1 t cumin, 1 t chipotle chili powder, 1/4 t cayenne, 1 t dried cilantro, 1 t salt, 4 garlic cloves, 1 can diced green chilies, 1/2 c red onion, and 3 shredded chicken breasts to make it a main dish. I also reduced the oil to 1/4 cup and increaded the lime juice to 1/2 cup. YUMMY!!!!! Thanks for the recipe!!

This is EXCELLENT! For those who have commented that the salad is "too dry," please be sure that you are following the recipe correctly. A typical box of rotini is about 1 pound...enough to double the recipe. If you use a whole box, then you should double the sauce too! I will be taking this pasta salad to a cookout tonight and I know it will be a big hit!

I enjoyed this recipe. I added a chopped, sweet onion, subbed a can of (drained) petite diced tomatoes for the fresh romas, and added a few chopped green onions and trippled the amount of cumin. It was great

Liked this; added a teaspoon of sugar because this helps intensify the flavors; also helped bring out the natural sweetness of the corn, black beans, tomatoes. Went well with burgers. Very pretty presentation and will make again.

I made some modifications to this recipe. I added a block of diced spicy pepper jack cheese and 3 green onions. I did not put tomatoes in at all. And I substituted the fresh red and green peppers for a 12oz jar of roasted red pepper. Super Yummy! I think I'll add more crushed garlic next time.

This was fantastic as is!!!! I was worried about the amount of chili, but it was fine. Fresh cilantro and fesh tomatoes are a must. I made this recipe with canned tomatoes and dried parsley because thats all I had and it was very good. The next time I used fresh and it was so much better. To make this a main dish I served it in corn tortilla "bowls" on a bed of shredded lettuce, topped with grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of fat free sour cream.

I think the red chili powder quantity should read 2 TEASPOONS and not TABLESPOONS. Otherwise, the salad was great.

This is a GREAT recipe. It is DELICIOUS! Many of my vegetarians want the recipe. It is different, has a little "kick" to it, but not too spicy. I am definitely going to bring this to many cookouts this summer.

We had everything except for green bell pepper and lime juice. We wondered what we could try instead and we found a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette in our fridge. The sweetness of the vinaigrette combined with the spice of the chili powder is so good! The recipe in general is good, but tweaking it up a bit here and there is so fun!

A tip for making it less dry - when pasta is cooling it just sucks up liquid. I let it cool in a bit of the cooking water so it sucks up the water instead of the oil. Once it's not absorbing anymore water, I then add the oil and other ingredients. It really makes a difference, you can even reduce the oil a bit and still have it taste great.

I really WANTED to like this pasta salad but I it was a little "dry" and I wasn't sure what to add to make it more moist? I only used 1 TBLS chili powder, which was good for us, but followed the remaining ingrediants exactly...hmmmm. Taste was good but like I said, a dry pasta salad isn't too appealing to me, even when covered in spices. Thanks just the same!!

I really wanted to like this, it has all the flavors I love, but sadly, I wasn't a huge fan and most of it got thrown out. Thanks for the recipe anyway!

I have to say over all the recipe is good. I was wanting to try something new for a pot luck for work and had to make a double batch. I ended up making a few adjustments that made me enjoy it even more. I followed all the directions but then also added 1 onion chopped up fine. I also mixed in after it was chilled 8oz of ranch dressing to give it more of a creamy flavor. I also topped it with shredded Mexican cheese. I think that it tastes better the longer it chills.

To put it in the words from Hubs, this "isn't bad," but that's because I used less than a third of the chili powder called for. One look at the ingredients list told me this was a necessary call. I can't imagine how unpleasant this would have been with three times more than what I used! But I should have cut way back on the cumin too. Nice assortment of ingredients in the salad itself as well as in the dressing, but the dressing needs work.

I've made this many times w/ great success following the recipe as written. Just made again today for a family reunion and know I'll get many requests for the recipe, as I do every time I serve it.

I made the recipoe and followed every direction exactly! I too thought it was a little dry so I added a little more lime juice just before serving! I would also try to add some spicy cheese or something, but I did think it was fabulous!!

Love this recipe! I have a few friends that are vegetarians so this recipe was perfect. I doubled it and added a little chipotle hot sauce for a kick. It was a big hit!

This was really good! I followed the recipe mostly, but didn't have red pepper so used twice as much green, and also added some green onions. Not sure how much lime juice I used because I just squeezed the juice of the 3/4 lime I had directly into the bowl. Didn't use any oil at all because I mixed everything else together and it seemed fine without it, so I'm not sure why some people have thought it was dry. Anyway, very tasty, made it as a main dish because my hubby is a vegetarian and we enjoyed it! Although I wish I had seen the reviews that said they added cheese, that would have been a good addition!

Wonderful pasta salad, nice having the southwestern flair. I didn't add corn, not a big fan unless fresh and not the season for fresh. I changed the dressing a bit..I used equal amounts about 1/4 cup of olive oil, lime and added some white wine vinegar. Only a teaspoon of the chili powder, and some coriander spice and black pepper, a few shakes, kept the cumin and garlic as stated. I didn't see the half of box of noodles and used the whole box, but it was fine since I added black olives and avocado, and red onion to the salad. This is one you can play with the vegetables you add easily and not mess up the recipe. Thanks Lisa, a great pasta salad.

Wonderful! It was unusually hot here today, so I made this and served with grilled talapia. I did add chipotle chili powder (1 tsp) and more lime juice. I used the canned mexican corn since I cannot get my 10 y.o. son to eat bell peppers..pretty sneaky huh?! I did add cubed Monterey Jack Salsa cheese. I can't tell you if it is good the next day since all of it is gone! Thanks again for a wonderful recipe!

I went completely by the recipe this time, just to know what it was. And wow!! Def a taste of the SW! Fully diggin on it! Even my daughter, the spice wuss, enjoyed it! That's a rave review in itself! Now, after reading what some of you other chefs have done, I'm anxious to try all those things, too. Ya, it'll be awhile of BBQ's before this one gets old! Way to go! You nailed a great pasta salad!!

I think this would do better with more cumin and but it was still a great hit at a barbecue.

Love this salad! I added a small amount (2T) of sugar to the dressing, but that was my only modification. I have made this many times and always get raves about it.

This is a great recipe-a nice change to normal pasta salads-yum! I made this last night with dinner and it went over very well. The leftovers today were just as tasty. I added some cheese-we love cheese in our salads. Also, I ended up adding some Italian dressing prior to serving-the pasta soaked up so much of the oil/lime juice mixture so it was a bit dry. Next time I plan on doubling the dressing amount recommended. All in all, this was a great new recipe to try and I plan on making it for the upcoming holiday weekend. Thanks for sharing a hit!

This is a great salad!!! I made a few additions to it with, diced green chiles, olives, some onion and garlic powder to taste.

Pretty good! Definitely let it marinade a little before eating. I am lazy and didn't feel like chopping garlic, so I tossed all of the dressing ingredients in the food processor along with hot sauce, oregano, and more cumin and voila! I might try this on a salad! I did find it a little tart, so I added a pinch of splenda. And as I was tossing the salad, I found it needed more salt. But that of course is all personal preference. I used a couple roma tomatoes, but next time (and there will be a next time!) I think I will use grape or cherry tomatoes.

Very good recipe. I used canned beans,canned chipotle corn, and canned diced green chiles, canned diced tomatoes with roasted garlic and onions.Added 4 cloves pressed garlic. Used Chipotle powder with a good amount of ground cumin.Did not have Cilantro at the time so I used a handful of chopped Parsley.Very tasty.Served it with Charcoal Grilled Chicken Thighs in a BBQ marinade. Will make it again!

My whole family loved this recipe. We added some avocado and cheddar cheese. Was delicious!

This is a great recipe! I really like the southwestern take on the salad as opposed to traditional italian. I added some red wine vinegar...other than that I stuck to the recipe. I also used fresh sweet corn grilled, and then cut off the cob. 5 stars!

This was a great, adaptable dish to cook! We did not chill it; ate it warm for dinner and then ate the leftovers chilled later like a "salad". I'm pretty sure I followed other reviews and used a little less oil, added some onion and I used chicken in mine for some meat substance. I would totally make this for a potluck, it makes so much food!

I made this for Christmas dinner today and my family today they love something spicy and they loved it I would recommend it. I will be making it again!

Absolutely a beautiful looking and tasty cold pasta salad. I added diced chicken to make it a little more heartier. It is certainly a croud pleaser. Thank you Lisa for sharing! Update - I used Gebhardts chili powder, a little spendy but so worth it!

I ended up using a lot more lime juice to add some zing to it along with lots of lime zest. It was much lighter than normal pasta salads and the family enjoyed it.

I needed something vegetarian to take to a potluck being held to introduce some consultants from India who would be working with us for an extended period but I wanted it to also be very regional and, since so much Indian food is quite spicy, I didn't want it too bland nor incendiary. This was a huge hit. I can't give it a "5" because I just don't know enough about vegetarian food. I doubled the recipe. For the dressing I made half again as much as I needed but only put the spices appropriate to the "doubled" dressing. I tried that on some of the pasta and ran it by my husband. He approved. I dressed the salad with only the doubled amount and reserved the rest in case the pasta soaked up too much dressing and left it dry. I didn't need the rest. I thought the dressing just a bit oily but not enough to merit tinkering with it. PS. I had left over salad because I had made so much. I added chopped cooked chicken and a little of the left-over dressing and it was great!

The combination of black beans, corn and cilantro always goes over well in my family, so we enjoyed this recipe. I made it as written and served it with grilled chicken. It was a nice light and easy dinner. My family has asked me to make this again so it will be put in my regular rotation.

I think this would be better with some other sauce. I made this excactly as written. Tip make your sauce and taste it, if you do not like it then do not ruin it by adding it, find something else that you like and add that instead.

Delicious, but Definitely make a day ahead. It needed something more, so I added cubed Cheddar Jack cheese and avocado at the last minute....people loved it!

OMG! this was amazing! i followed the recipe to a T except I added a tad more salt and tons more lime juice. I also omitted the tomatoes because I didn't want them to get soggy overnight.delicious! i will definitely make this again!

Remember to mix the spices in the oil before mixing in with the pasta. It does make a difference...as I found out!! Very good, even with less oil. Leftovers evaporate.

I've made this before it is a crowd pleaser.I also like to roast vegetables and I use fire roasted can tomatoes. One of these days when I make this recipe I will add some diced grilled chicken. Very satisfying recipe could be a meal.

This just didn't work for us....it seemed like we were eating a dish that was supposed to be warmed up, but was just cold out of the fridge.....glad I tried it, but not again :(

This was a disappointment. I made the recipe exactly as written, and it was OK, but it was definitely missing something... cheese, I think, but I can't completely put my finger on it. If I were to make it again, I might try putting in some pepperjack cheese, as someone else suggested, but I'm not really sure I'm going to try this again.

Great recipe! I made this for my baby shower and it was a big hit. Only change I made was to add more cumin, chili powder and lime juice -- it seemed to need more spice, as well as a lot more salt. Once I added more "stuff", it tasted wonderful. Also, to the person who mentioned using red chili powder: red chili powder is powdered dried chilis, while chili powder is a blend of spices used to make chili! That's probably why it came out so spicy!

This is the BEST pasta salad ever! I have made it twice now. The first time, I mixed in some freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I left it out the second time, only because it was being served to someone who is lactose intolerant. It was absolutely delicious either way! The cilantro and the lime add such freshness and lightness...don't skimp on the lime juice! One more thing...Use any fresh (not canned)tomatoes you have on hand. It doesn't matter, it will come out delicious! This is a recipe I will use for life! :)

my husband and I really liked this pasta recipe. I did a few tweeks. I used a full red pepper because I don't like green peppers and I added some red onion. this is a keeper. Thanks for sharing

On the day I made this recipe, the spices were overwhelming, however, after sitting overnight they definitely mixed well and were toned down. It is unlikely I will make this again.

We really enjoyed this. I upped the lime juice and cut the oil a little. I also threw in some grilled chicken and made a meal out of it. Maybe next time we'll add some taco meat instead. Also needed some extra salt for our taste.

This is a great pasta salad recipe. The only things I changed were to add a little more lime juice and some chopped scallions. I took it to a cookout and everyone loved it. I have also made it and served sliced avocado and grilled chicken on top for a complete meal with an extra squeeze of lime. So good!

Okay I thought this was "pretty good". But not great. Didn't really get any great compliments on it. Probably won't make again.

Delicious and refreshing. I added 2 splenda packets to bring out the flavor of the corn & beans. Also only used 1/2 cup oil and that was plenty.

I used this basic recipe, and added the dressing from "Mexican Bean Salad." Love it!

Very good! I had to make something for a potluck and I was tired of the boring Italian pasta salad. I was drawn to this one because of all the colors! I doubled the recipe, added a few jalapeños to give it a bit more kick and everyone loved it!

I made this for a family reunion and it was well-received. Different from the typical pasta salad. I added green onions and cubed pepper jack cheese. I thought it was delicious and plan to make it again.

Loved it! I was afraid that the recipe called for too much chili powder, but it turned out great! Thank you, Lisa!

This was the perfect solution for being bored with the typical "Italian" pasta salad! It's light, tasty, & super easy. The cilantro adds a wonderful flavor & the lime based dressing is refreshing. The next time I make it, I will add a small can of green chilies just for little kick. This was a big hit at a Memorial Day picnic...thanks!!!

great pasta salad, a friend's husband said it was now his favorite pasta salad ever! I halved the recipe which was still 8 servings but still used the whole bag of pasta and I thought the mix was just right. I also used the canned petite diced tomatoes instead of the fresh and it was perfect, with all the other flavors the tomatoes tasted fresh!! Great recipe and great BBQ or picnic side dish because no mayo to go bad!!! Loved it!

REALLY GOOD! I didn't have any Chili Powder (thought I did) so I had to use Mrs Dash "Caribbean Lime".... the main ingredient was Chili Powder. It ended up being to acidic so I added a fresh jalapeno pepper (with seeds). It balanced out the acidity perfectly! And I'll make it again. I garnished mine with three thin slices of lime wedges! Props to the creators!

I have made this two or three times and it never lasts long. I do think that adding more lime juice, and a few dashes of red pepper, makes this dish more flavorful. I also included the juice of one orange, which added a nice sweetness to the dish that complimented the corn and black beans, and offset the bitterness of the chili power. If you like Mexican flavors, you will be sure to like this dish!

This pasta salad is different and delicious! I made the salad pretty much as written. However I did use Chipotle Chili Powder instead of regular Chilil Powder and I scaled back the amount to 1 teaspoon since I didn't want it to be too spicy for the kids. Will probably add a bit more next time. Added in a little extra cumin and garlic also. Served it up with some grilled Mahi Mahi. Next time I will add in a bit more lime juice than called for and will also throw in some black olives. This pasta salad is easy to make and a deliciously different change from the usual pasta salad.

Wow! This was great! I made the pasta from scratch, i left out the cilantro and used less chili powder and olive oil instead of regular oil! This was unbelievable! Pop some dark red kidney beans in and this can be a hearty meal for a vegetarian! WHOOP WHOOP! :)

If you like this kind of salad, try the Mexican Bean Salad, has a bit more zip to it. I have made it several times and always goes over very well.

It is a nice variation on the traditional pasta salad. Next time I will add some cheese to it.

flavor was great. used whole wheat pasta. a little expense to buy all the ingredients. but will definitely make it again

I made this for our Memorial day BBQ, and it was a hit! I agree that the two TABLESPOONS of Chili powder is a little overpowering, but this is one of those recipes that gets better the longer it sits. I recommend making it a day ahead and letting it sit in the fridge overnight. I substituted fresh parsley for the cilantro, since it tends to taste soapy to me, but it was still delicious!

Really good pasta salad. I think it could use more dressing as it was a bit dry. Great flavor.

I use Itialian dressing already made and then add the 1 tablespoon of Chili powder and 2 tablespoon of Cumin. Chill dressing while cutting the veggies. Put water on to boil for Rotini pasta. 1 cook as directed. 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 yellow bell pepper or any combo you like either diced or in slivers ,1 diced or slivers of Red Onion, 1 bunch Cilantro, Corn, diced 1 can green Chilies, 1 can diced Jalapeno peppers. Put all veggies in large biwl, drain pasta poor into bowl of veggies then pour the dressing over the pasta and mix. Chill in refrigerator until either cold about 2 hours or serve the next day. You could always add other veggies, beans and meat to your liking. Its is slightly spicy. This is a good basic recepie to experiment with. Family and friends love this pasta.

Did add chicken, olives and kidney beans instead of black beans and a few other things to make my own. Turned out great!

When reading about the ingredients it sounded delicious! Sadly, it was not... I could only use the word 'unique' when telling my husband about it. The salt is a MUST as it helps brings all the unique flavors together.

I used 16oz. rotini, 1/4c. oil, juice from one lime, 3tbsp. chili powder, 3tsp. cumin, 1tsp. salt(and salted noodles while cooking), 1tsp. minced garlic, one can chick peas, 1 can diced tomatoes, and about 1 1/2c. cilantro all because this is what I had on hand and a corn allergy. I think it tastes wonderful and I can't wait to have it tomorrow after everything marinates!

Very delicious! I loved it so much I've turned into one of our regular meals by adding some fajita chicken to it.

What a wonderful summertime light and flavorful pasta salad! I thought this recipe was perfect...my only changes were that I only used 1 tablespoon of chili powder and I added some cubed Monterey Jack pepper cheese and mini penne pasta. Thanks for the recipe, it was fabulous!!!

This is delicious--great blend of flavors. For those of you who like a lot of oil/vinaigrette in a pasta salad, you probably won't like this recipe. There is virtually no oil/dressing laying in the bottom of the bowl. The flavors are GREAT. I made it the night before the refrigerated ate, tasting it a few times along the way for salt. I bought fresh bi-color corn, cooked it, and sliced it off the cob. And I used organic heirloom tomatoes. And I doubled the recipe since I took it to a picnic. Will make again!

Made this for my son's 1st birthday party and spiced it down because of other children....VERY DELICIOUS!!!! For grown ups I would either add more chili/cumin or follow recipe.

I served this with fajitas and my guests raved! It was simple to make and different from ordinary side dishes.

I liked this recipe but not everyone at the table agreed. Everyone ate it except one guy who said it tasted like salsa mixed with pasta. Overall I think the salad needed more zip. I cut down on the chili powder because others said it was to spicy. I found the whole dish just a tad blah. I would put some Tabasco and sugar in the dressing next time. It was good but no one raved about it.

Very easy to make & so tasty!

Very Tasty!

Very good salad, a nice change from typical picnic pasta salads, but nothing special

YUM! I used pinto beans because I didn't have any black beans and I added chicken. I also added some extra lime juice the next morning for a little extra zing. We ate this as meal while camping. Very portable and no cooking for lunch. I'll be using this pasta salad a lot!

This salad is a great summer staple. It works great on the boat and for picnics because there's no mayo to worry about. Love it!

I had high hopes for this one but was a bit disappointed. The dressing just isn't very good as written. I think maybe the addition of vinegar to the oil and spices might help. I reduced the chili powder to 1 Tbsp. which was plenty. I added sliced olives which I thought was a nice addition. The ingredients were healthy and beautiful in presentation but the dressing is lacking.

Love it!!! I used lemon instead of lime & canned tomatoes with green chilis. Also~ my local WinCo carries an awesome Southwest frozen veggie blend with corn, black beans, peppers & onions. Saves gobs of time to use that instead of chopping fresh! I prefer this hot, not as a chilled pasta salad. Thanks for this yummy, yummy recipe!

Tasty salad, better than expected. I hava tried with cilantro and with basil instead. Both were good, but cilantro was definitely better.

Very good dish - just as is. The flavors are great the first day and even better the second day.

My family loved this dish! I made it into a entree by adding seitan (we are vegetarian). I also added a little besamic vinegar and sauted our bell peppers with the seitan and a little more spice. Next time I might add cube cheese and onion. Over all this recipe is very yummy and easy to make your own.

I was very excited to make this pasta salad, and although it turned out tasting good it was too dry. I even added twice the amount of sauce and it was still too try. Before serving it I added about 1/3 cup of chicken stock and I added 1 cup of chopped red onions. My boyfriend ate it and he thought it was ok but he said it could be better. I agreed. I wondered what it would taste like heated so I stuck it in the microwave for 3 minutes and I was incredibly surprised at how much better it tasted! I sprinkled some mozzarella cheese on top and that was it! From now on, I'll eat the rest of the leftovers heated.

Awesome base with others suggestions added like cutting back olive oil to 2-3 Tbsp., added diced red onion, avocado, jicama for texture, and I halved the chili powder and added an equal amount of chipolte powder for a a little more heat with a smokey addition that was nice for our taste. Thanks so much for sharing. This dish was perfect for our guests who many are vegetarian but I had shredded chicken on the side for our meat lover guests and all were very pleased with this dish.

Pretty good, good level of spice without being overpowering

I loved this recipe because it was different. I brought it to a picnic and it was all gone. A lot of the regular pasta salads weren't. It seemed a bit bland when I made it but I played around with the spices and added more cumin and lime juice. I think it was a hit and would make it again.

LOVE this salad. I doubled the recipe and took it to a potluck. There was none leftover! Everyone loved the flavor, even the guys! Some had 4 servings!! It was different yet very flavorful. I used bow tie pasta and it dressed the salad up! I will be making this again a lot this summer!!

I'm not a pasta salad person so when asked to bring one to a family dinner I came right to allrecipes for one. I tried this one and wow...it is great! Tastes the best if allowed to set for a day before serving...so I will make a day ahead from now on and extra lime juice is GOOD. Also I keep the tomatoes seperate till serving. The second day with the left overs (not much) I added fresh diced japaleno(seeds and pith removed) and diced pepperjack cheese and was wonderful! I can't thank you enough for this recipe...I now keep all the ingredients on hand...and was called the next day and asked for the recipe.

I really WANTED to like this pasta salad but I it was a little "dry" and I wasn't sure what to add to make it more moist? I only used 1 TBLS chili powder, which was good for us, but followed the remaining ingrediants exactly...hmmmm. Taste was good but like I said, a dry pasta salad isn't too appealing to me, even when covered in spices. Thanks just the same!!

Made this for a graduation party and it turned out wonderful! I grilled fresh corn on the barbeque and switched the veggie oil for olive oil, both of which really helped the salad pop. I'm actually making again for a family gathering coming up soon.

I made this for an office potluck - I really didn't measure anything closely, I gathered the ingredients, started mixing and went by taste. Turned out AWESOME.

So easy to make and so delicious. I usually add a dash of mexican hot sauce to give it an extra kick.

I ended up added onions and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese but I though the salad came out very dry and on the bland side - too much of a lime taste if i added more juice, not enough of the spice. I followed other suggestions and added extra chili powder but it didn't help. What we ended up doing to force down the left overs was add some salsa - then it tasted alright. Probably won't be making this again.

I liked it. Used a bag of frozen southwestern corn/black bean/pepper mix from the store and it worked great and took some of the prep work out of it.

Made this for our Memorial day BBQ and everyone liked it. I started out making it close to the recipe, but found it pretty bland. I changed it by using more lime juice, olive oil-just eyeballed it, a little reserved starchy pasta water, parsley instead of cilantro since I don't like it, green onion, and less cumin since one of my friends doesn't like it. I let it sit for a couple of hours and it was still a little bland and the chili powder was a little overpowering. I added more lime juice, touch more olive oil, quite a bit more salt, black pepper, hot sauce, and a sprinkle of taco seasoning since I had a packet open. It was better but still a little blander than I would prefer - but I left it that way since my friends can't all do spicy. To make it just for us in the future I'll add minced jalapeno, some cubed pepper jack cheese, more hot sauce, use less chili powder (might try a little chipotle chili powder), and cayenne pepper. It just seemed to be missing something...maybe for me it was spicy heat.