This is the pasta salad I bring to every summer cookout. Elbow macaroni, roasted corn, black beans, jalapeño, and cherry tomatoes tossed in a creamy chili-lime dressing – it has the best flavor and it holds up well in the fridge, which means you can make it the night before and show up to the BBQ already done.
The dressing is Greek yogurt-based instead of all mayonnaise. It’s lighter and tangier, and the lime and cumin make it taste like it belongs with every other Mexican flavor in the bowl. It’s the thing people ask about.
Just mix up your veggies while the pasta cooks, toss it all together with the creamy dressing, let the flavors marinate in the fridge for a bit, and enjoy! It makes a great side dish, light lunch, or even a main course with a grilled protein. In fact, I can’t think of a protein that wouldn’t taste good next to this!
Looking for another easy pasta salad? Try easy Italian pasta salad or summer orzo salad next time.
Ingredients You Need
Grab the following ingredients for this Mexican Macaroni Salad. Jump down to the recipe for exact measurements.
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Elbow pasta: Use gluten-free if needed.
- Fresh corn: Prepare it roasted, steamed, or grilled. Canned or frozen and thawed corn kernels will also work.
- Black beans: Hearty black beans add protein and fiber.
- Cherry tomatoes: Substitute with grape tomatoes or Roma tomatoes.
- Green bell pepper: Orange or red bell peppers will also work.
- Red onion: Adds a nice crunch. Substitute with white onion if needed.
- Fresh cilantro: You can omit the cilantro if you’re not a fan.
- Jalapeño: Leave out the seeds if you’d prefer less heat.
Dressing Ingredients
- Greek yogurt and sour cream: You can substitute the Greek yogurt for mayonnaise.
- Lime: Used for fresh lime juice.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best, but you can substitute with garlic powder.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, cumin, kosher salt.
How to Make Mexican Macaroni Salad
Here are the basic steps, with images, for this Mexican pasta salad recipe. Skip down to the recipe card below for the full recipe.
- Cook the macaroni: Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Darin and rinse it under cold water.
- Grill or roast the corn: Brush corn with olive oil and grill over high heat or roast at 425. While cooking, turn the corn until browned and cooked through. Cool and cut the kernels off the cobs.
- Make the dressing: Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or jar while the pasta cooks.
- Chop veggies and add to a bowl: Combine the cooked macaroni in a large bowl with the remaining pasta salad ingredients.
- Toss with dressing and serve: Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Taste and add more salt, lime juice, or cilantro to taste.
Recipe Variations
- Don’t have elbow macaroni? Try another small pasta like rotini, fusilli, or ditalini.
- Adjust the heat level by adding more or less jalapeño. Adding the seeds will add more heat as well.
- Mix in more Mexican ingredients like black olives, pickled jalapeno, or deli ham.
- Add some cheese like shredded cheddar cheese, cubed pepper jack cheese, or cotija cheese.
- Top with chives, green onions, fresh cilantro, or freshly squeezed lime juice.
What to Serve It With
- Instant pot carnitas
- Perfect grilled chicken breasts
- Instant Pot chicken tinga
- Salmon with mango salsa
- Grilled burgers or hot dogs
- Instant Pot chicken salsa
- Perfect grilled ribeye
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Pasta soaks up the dressing as it sits – if you know you’ll have leftovers, reserve a quarter cup of the pasta cooking water and mix it with a splash of extra dressing to toss with the salad before serving again. It brings it right back.
Success Tip! Pasta soaks up the dressing as it chills in the fridge. If you know you’ll have leftovers, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and mix it with 1/4 cup of the dressing and reserve it on the side to toss before serving after storing.
Recipe FAQ
Yes – and it’s better that way. Make it at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 24 hours ahead. The pasta absorbs the dressing as it sits and the flavors come together. If making more than a few hours ahead, reserve some extra dressing on the side to toss with it before serving, since the pasta will continue soaking it up.
Yes. The recipe uses Greek yogurt for a lighter, tangier dressing, but mayo works. You can also do half Greek yogurt and half mayo for the classic creamy macaroni salad texture with a little less tang. Either way, the lime and seasonings carry the flavor.
Yes. Canned or frozen corn works if you don’t want to grill or roast fresh ears – just drain canned corn or thaw and drain frozen kernels before adding. You can also skip it entirely and add more black beans or bell pepper.
Yes. Leave it out for a milder version. Seeding the jalapeño before chopping it significantly reduces the heat if you want the flavor without the kick. A pinch of red pepper flakes stirred into the dressing is another option for heat without jalapeño texture.
Mexican Macaroni Salad Recipe
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Ingredients
Macaroni Salad
- 1 lb elbow macaroni gluten-free if needed
- 2 ears (1 cup) fresh corn (canned or frozen and thawed work)
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 medium red onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño seeded and finely diced
Dressing
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 lime juiced (3 Tablespoons), plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta.1 lb elbow macaroni
- Heat an indoor or outdoor grill over high heat and brush the corn with oil. Cook the ears of corn for a few minutes on each side until it starts to brown. Alternately, roast at 425 for 12-15 minutes. Cool and cut the kernels off the cobs.2 ears (1 cup) fresh corn
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or blender while the pasta cooks.3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/3 cup sour cream, 1 lime, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Combine the cooled pasta in a large bowl with the remaining pasta salad ingredients. Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat evenly.1 cup black beans, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 green bell pepper, 1/2 medium red onion, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1 jalapeño
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes if possible, but serving at room temperature works too. Taste and add more salt or lime juice as needed. Top with fresh chopped cilantro and sliced jalapeno before serving.
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Grill or oven for cooking corn
- Small bowl or blender to mix the dressing
- Cutting board and sharp chef's knife
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Very flavour full. Defiantly enough sauce for 1lb of macaroni noodles. Will make it again 😊
Thanks Julie! Glad you enjoyed it.
I made this for the 4th of July to go with our fish taco dinner. It was a big fail. I did not add the jalapeno peppers, we had kids who would like it. It lacked flavor and was dry. I ended up adding cheese some mayo and fiesta ranch dressing. That made it better but not to the point that I’ll be making it again. I thought the recipe looked good but sadly, I was wrong.
Hi Sondra, thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I’m sorry to hear this one wasn’t a hit for your family. The jalapeño does add a bit of flavor beyond just heat, but it definitely shouldn’t make or break the recipe. It’s also possible the pasta absorbed more of the dressing as it chilled, which can happen depending on the brand of pasta used. I appreciate you sharing the changes you made, and I’m glad adding a little extra dressing helped. Thanks again for giving the recipe a try!
Great flavor, but you’ll need to double the dressing as it was a bit dry. Will make again!