Fiesta Pasta Salad

Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé
Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé

FIESTA!

This pasta salad recipe is great for Cinco de Mayo!

Oh wait, you mean to tell me that we’ve sailed right by Cinco de Mayo and the next holiday is The Fourth of July!?!? Well, then… this pasta salad will be great for The Fourth of July as well. Trust me.

How do I know? I just know. This will steal the show next to your burgers and dawgs.

It has so much flavor from the tomatoes, beans, and other crunchy vegetables, which is topped off with a lime based dressing.

While tomatoes are really ripe and readily available in the summer, it’s nice to be able to just open a can of tomatoes that have been picked at their peak of freshness. That flavor is sealed in just for you. And my favorite thing is that they are all ready for you to quickly use! I normally have whole canned tomatoes in my pantry but cans of diced ones are great to have on hand for mixing into recipes quickly. Aside from being a quick ingredient to incorporate into your recipes, it’s really economical too. Always a plus with a new baby!

Don’t get hung up thinking that canned tomatoes are only good for pasta sauce! They are great in salads, cooked with fish, steak, and chicken, and they are a great base for dips and sides.

Besides the tomatoes this pasta salad is hearty and flavorful from the beans, peppers, and corn. The cilantro, garlic, and lime add a lot of flavor to the pasta salad to really give it that fiesta in your mouth feeling. And don’t forget the vinegar either, the little bit used is enough to give everything a bit of a tartness that works well with the sweet tomatoes.

Make a big bowl of this and it will be gone as your friends and family enjoy Cinco de… nevermind… the Fourth of July!!!

Olé!

Fiesta Pasta Salad

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb rotini shaped pasta
• 2 28-oz cans of diced tomatoes, such as Red Pack’s
• 15-oz can of black beans
• 2 ears of corn, kernels removed
• 4 oz of sweet peppers, diced
• 1-2 jalapenos, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 heaping Tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt and Pepper

Process

1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. Drain, set aside and allow to cool completely. (I usely mix some ice in to help speed up the process)
2. Drain and rinse the black beans. Pour into a very large bowl.
3. Drain (don’t rinse) the diced tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the beans.
4. Add the corn, peppers, jalapenos, and cilantro to the beans and tomatoes.
5. Mix together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, cumin, and garlic. Pour over the tomato mixture.
6. Add the pasta and mix until completely combined.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste

____________________

Redpack is hosting a great giveaway on their Facebook page that you just have to enter. The Gourmet Salad Kit prize pack is worth $350! Hop over to FB and enter the “Toss The Flavor” Contest!

The prize pack comes with a Redpack Tote Bag, one Picnic Basket and Blanket, a Pottery Barn Wooden Bowl Serving Set, and the following Pampered Chef items: Salad & Berry Spinner, Salad Chopper, Salad Bowl Lid, Bamboo Salad Tongs. And of course, Redpack products to make the new Redpack “Seasonal Salad Recipes”.

Awesome, right?!? So be sure to get over there ASAP and enter. Contest runs though July 2nd, 2014.

____________________

Wait for it… I’m giving away a fun Redpack prize as well!!!

You’ll get 3 28-oz cans of juicy diced tomatoes, recipe cards, and an tote bag!

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me which recipe you’d love to make from Redpack’s extensive recipe index. Giveaway ends July 6th , 2014.

____________________

*This post was sponsored by Redpack. While I did receive complimentary products from Redpack, these opinions are entirely my own.

____________________

Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.