Healthier Cowboy Pasta Salad

Healthy cowboy pasta salad with protein pasta, beef, bacon, corn, black beans, cilantro, and green onion

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This healthy cowboy pasta salad is a lighter version of a family-favorite recipe that is still hearty, flavorful, and satisfying. Made with protein pasta, seasoned ground beef, bacon, black beans, corn, and a lighter creamy barbecue dressing, it is perfect for summer meals and gatherings. It has all the flavors of the original, but comes in at about half the calories per serving.

Course Appetizer, dinner, Main Dish

Cuisine American, Barbecue, Mexican

Keyword beef, comfort food, pasta, quick

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 775kcal

Author Laura

Equipment

Ingredients

Salad:

8 slices bacon
1 lb. lean ground beef
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp paprika
12 oz protein rotini pasta
1 cup frozen sweet corn thawed
15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
⅓ cup cheddar cheese shredded or finely diced
¼ cup green onion finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped

Dressing:

⅓ cup light mayo
½ cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt
¼ cup barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard

Instructions

Cook your bacon with your preferred method. I like to cook mine in the oven. Once cooked, cut into small pieces.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
In the meantime, brown the beef in a skillet until fully cooked. Season the meat with the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
In a large bowl, add the beef and pasta along with the corn, beans, tomatoes, cheese, green onion, and cilantro.
In a bowl, whisk all of the salad ingredients together. At this point, you can add the salad, dressing, and bacon to the fridge until ready to serve. When ready, add the dressing and bacon to the salad and toss until well coated. Serves 5 as a main dish or 10 as a side dish.

Nutrition