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Cowboy Pasta Salad

Cowboy pasta salad with BBQ ranch dressing is loaded with beans, corn, cheddar, and crunchy Fritos for a hearty, crowd-ready side. Chill it to let the flavors soak in, then top with bacon and crushed chips for big crunch in every bite.
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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: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Penne pasta
  • 1 lb penne pasta
Black beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed
Corn
  • 1 can (15 oz) corn drained
Vegetables
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 0.5 cup red onion diced
Cheese & 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 cup Fritos corn chips crushed
Seasoning
  • 0.5 salt to taste
  • 0.5 pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and chill the pasta
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne pasta until al dente, about 8–10 minutes (follow package directions). Drain and rinse under cold water until cool to stop the cooking.
Make the BBQ ranch mixture
  1. In a small bowl, mix the ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and chili powder until smooth and evenly colored.
Assemble the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine the 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 thoroughly until everything is coated.
  3. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste, then toss again to distribute evenly.
Chill
  1. Cover and refrigerate the salad for 2 hours so the flavors blend and the pasta firms up.
Finish with crunchy toppings
  1. Just before serving, top the chilled salad with the cooked and crumbled bacon.
  2. Sprinkle the crushed Fritos corn chips on top so they stay crunchy.

Notes

For best texture, keep the Fritos and bacon separate until right before serving so the chips don’t soften. Refrigerate in a sealed container up to 4 days; freeze not recommended due to the pasta and crunchy chips. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat ranch dressing and reduce the shredded cheese slightly.