Mexican Pasta Salad

Here in Kansas City, we got a late start with our summer season, considering we had snow the first week of May. Now, here it is the opening weekend for the NFL, and it's 102 degrees outside. Hmmm... 

Well, we Midwesterners are known for our tough resilience. It's kind of required for living in tornado alley. So, I decided to disregard Mother Nature's cruel joke and create a tailgate pasta salad that was cool, fresh and light, but still had the spicy kick of traditional football fare. 

Mexican Pasta Salad with Crispy Tortilla Strips

I started by cooking six ounces of Ronzoni Garden Delight Tricolor Rotini according to package directions. This pasta has the equivalent of a half serving of vegetables and is heart healthy with no added salt. 

I added 1/2 cup each of coarsely chopped red and green bell peppers and 1/2 cup finely chopped onion. For a little extra zing, I added one minced jalapeno pepper. And, I added one cup of cherry tomatoes, halved.

Next, I added 1/2 cup black olives, quartered; 1-1/2 cups of Mexi-corn, drained; 1-1/2 cups of beans, drained and rinsed (I chose pinto beans, but black beans would work equally well); and 4 oz diced green chili peppers. I used canned corn and beans, but fresh cooked would be even better.

I cut one avocado into chunks, drizzled them with one tablespoon of fresh lime juice and sprinkled them with 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin. I cut 4 oz of reduced fat pepper jack cheese into chunks and added it and the avocado to pasta mixture, gently mixing the ingredients to protect the soft avocado.

For the dressing, I decided to mix 6 oz of non-fat Greek yogurt with Hidden Farms Fiesta Ranch dressing mix and gently stirred it into the pasta mixture to coat all the ingredients. 

As you can see, this is a super easy salad with plenty of guilt-free, robust flavor and lots of crunchy freshness. It yields about 15 half-cup servings at about 120 calories per serving, but is filling enough to serve as a entree salad with the nutritional balance of vegetables, protein, dairy and carbs. And, it's totally customizable, so you can be the coach and choose your own player ingredients to suit your team's tastes!

Mexican Pasta Salad

6 oz pasta

1/2 cup red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

1/2 cup large black olives, quartered

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cut into chunks

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

4 oz reduced fat pepper jack cheese (or cheese of choice)

1-1/2 cups Mexi-corn, drained

1-1/2 cups beans, drained and rinsed

4 oz diced green chili peppers

Dressing

6 oz non-fat Greek yogurt

1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dressing Mix

cilantro and crunchy tortilla chips for garnish (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add all ingredients together and mix well. Mix yogurt and dressing mix; gently stir into salad mixture. Garnish with crunchy tortilla chips and/or cilantro, if desired.