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Cowboy Pasta Salad

Cowboy pasta salad with BBQ ranch dressing, beans, corn, and crunchy Fritos. Loaded penne pasta salad is tossed, chilled for a couple hours, then topped with bacon and extra crunch right before serving.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Penne pasta
  • 1 lb penne pasta
Canned beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed
Canned corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
Produce
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 0.5 cup red onion diced
Cheese and dressing
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 cup ranch dressing
  • 0.25 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Toppings
  • 6 bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 2 cups Fritos corn chips crushed
Seasoning
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook penne pasta according to package directions in a Dutch oven, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and keep it from sticking.
Make the BBQ ranch dressing
  1. In a small bowl, mix ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and chili powder until evenly combined and the color is consistent.
Assemble the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta, black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, red onion, and cheddar cheese.
  2. Pour the BBQ ranch dressing over the salad and toss until everything is coated, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chill
  1. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours so the flavors meld and the pasta firms up slightly.
Serve
  1. Just before serving, top the salad with crumbled bacon and crushed Fritos so the chips stay crunchy.

Notes

For best texture, chill the salad before adding Fritos; the chips will soften if they sit too long. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days, and for best results add bacon and Fritos only when serving. Freezing is not recommended because pasta and toppings change texture. If you want a lighter option, use turkey bacon and reduced-fat cheddar/ranch.