Zesty Southwestern Pasta Salad
This goes over well at potlucks - when there's a choice of more than one pasta salad, this one usually goes first. Oddly enough, the leftovers make good soup, too! I just add the leftovers to some vegetable broth and canned tomatoes, and season it with more of the same spices that were in the recipe. This recipe originally came from allrecipes.com, but i have tweaked it in a way that suits me better. As always i have cut back on the oil and lime juice, so add more back in if it suits you. I love the amount of chili powder and cumin in this, but it may be a bit much for some so use less if you don't like those flavors as much as i do.
Steps
Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
When making pasta salad , i like to cook my pasta a minute or two less than recommended so it stays firmer in the dressing , and holds up better against breaking apart when tossing.
Drain and rinse under cold water.
In a large bowl whisk together oil , lime juice , chili powder , cumin , salt and garlic.
Gently stir in pasta and set aside.
Gently stir in corn , beans , green pepper , red pepper , onion , tomatoes and 1 / 2 of the cilantro leaves.
Garnish with the remaining cilantro.
Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
Ingredients
small shell pasta, olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, garlic, frozen corn, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, red onion, fresh cilantro leaves, grape tomatoes