Southwest Pasta Salad
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jul 14, 2025 
This Creamy Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe features chunky Southwestern ingredients like fresh tomatoes, black beans, corn, cilantro, and bold spices. It’s a chilled southwest pasta salad that’s perfect for all of your spring and summer gatherings, and can easily be made gluten-free and vegan-friendly!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
The sun is out, and it is officially pasta salad season! There is just nothing better for sharing at potlucks and barbecues than a big bowl of refreshingly cold, perfectly tender, and tangy pasta salad.
And oh my goodness, the varieties are nearly endless… From classic Macaroni Salad and Italian Pasta Salad to fun and fresh Zesty Greek Pasta Salad, Hawaiian Macaroni and Potato Salad, and Cool Chicken Taco Pasta Salad, you can easily create delicious versions that feature any flavor profiles you like!
Why We Love This Southwest Pasta Salad Recipe
You might have noticed that we are big fans of Southwestern flavors around here. So we decided to make this creamy pasta salad featuring all of the bold Tex-Mex goodies we love! Our Creamy Ranch Southwest Pasta Salad includes tender noodles, lots of veggies like peppers and sweet corn, black beans, bright spices, and a creamy, cool cilantro-lime ranch dressing.
- Party Perfect – This recipe is great to make for summer parties!
- Prep Ahead – It’s a fabulous dish for weekly meal prep because the ingredients hold up for several days in the refrigerator. And is popular with kids!
- Customizable – Plus, it’s simple to customize our creamy Southwest Pasta Salad with gluten-free noodles and/or vegan-friendly ranch dressing to please nearly any taste.
Ingredients You Need
- Small pasta – we like to make tri-color pasta salad with fusilli, but feel free to use any small variety like rotini pasta, penne pasta, or shells
- Black beans – drained
- Grape or cherry tomatoes – halved
- Frozen corn – thawed
- Red bell pepper – seeded and chopped
- Red onion – chopped
- Cilantro – chopped
- Sliced black olives – drained
- Jalapeno (optional) – seeded and diced
For the creamy dressing you need:
- Ranch dressing – your favorite thick and creamy version (I love chipotle ranch dressing)
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed
- Spices – chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper
How to Make Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad
Find the full Southwest Ranch Pasta Salad recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and ingredient substitutions in the printable form below.
Protein Pointer – To make this a complete one-dish meal with protein, add grilled chopped chicken, drained canned tuna, or cooked shrimp to this salad before serving!
Creamy Southwest Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound small pasta we used fusilli
- 15 ounce black beans drained
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 3 ounce sliced black olives drained
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced (optional)
For the Dressing –
- 1 cup thick creamy ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place a large pot of salted water over high heat. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile chop all necessary ingredients.
- Set out a large salad bowl. Add in the cooked pasta, black beans, tomatoes, corn, chopped bell pepper, onion, cilantro, olives, and jalapeno.
- In a separate bowl (or measuring pitcher) combine the ranch dressing, lime juice, chili powder, and cumin. Mix well. Then taste, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the dressing into the pasta salad and gently stir until well coated.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. (Allowing the pasta salad ingredients to rest with the dressing longer creates a better overall flavor.)
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Simply swap traditional pasta with your favorite gluten-free noodles!
Absolutely! For a vegan Creamy Pasta Salad, use your preferred plant-based vegan ranch dressing.
This recipe is excellent to make ahead! In fact, I love eating it even more the day after it’s made. Homemade Southwest Pasta Salad with ranch dressing will keep well for up to 4-5 days in the fridge.
Sure, you can! Consider adding shredded cheddar cheese, roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, chopped zucchini, or cucumbers.
I made this over Fourth of July weekend and it turned out so great! I made it a day in advance and everything was still fresh and perky. I will make this again.
This seemed dry to me so I double the dressing. I don’t know if I put to many noodles or what but it was good with the extra dressing.
This salad is perfect for the summer! It’s great with bbq or even tacos. I love the olives- such good flavor!
oh my goodness this recipe is just amazing! We did decide to add in the jalapeño and the ranch cooled it down to make this the best pasta Salad I think I have ever tried!