Packed with bold flavors in every bite, this cowboy pasta salad is made with tender noodles, bacon, seasoned ground beef, a creamy dressing, and Southwestern flavor!

It’s got the mix-ins of cowboy caviar, the creamy dressing of a macaroni salad, and the seasoned beef that makes my taco salad a real dinner.

Close up of a wooden spoon holding a serving of cowboy pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, rotini, ground beef, bacon, and corn in a smoky, creamy dressing.

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Key Takeaways: Cowboy Pasta Salad

  • Flavor: Bold and Southwestern, with smoky bacon, taco-seasoned beef, and just enough heat from red pepper flakes and chili sauce.
  • Loaded and hearty: Rotini tossed with a full pound each of bacon and ground beef, plus corn, cherry tomatoes, cheddar, and scallions.
  • Sweet and smoky dressing: Mayonnaise whisked with BBQ sauce, spicy brown mustard, Worcestershire, and hot chili sauce.
  • Serving: Filling enough to eat as a main, but made for BBQs, potlucks, and picnics next to grilled meats.

Why I Love This Recipe

In my house, pasta salad is a must for any good BBQ, potluck, picnic, or summer cookout. I’ll never say no to a classic, but I lean toward heartier Tex Mex-style versions like bacon ranch pasta salad, Southwest pasta salad, and Mexican street corn pasta salad, all loaded enough to hold their own as a full meal.

Cowboy pasta salad is packed with tender pasta, smoky bacon, beef, tomatoes, corn, cheese, and a zesty dressing that’s sweet, spicy, and slightly smoky making it an easy, satisfying side dish perfect alongside all your grilled meats!

XO - Jamielyn

Ingredients Notes

Cowboy pasta salad ingredients including rotini, ground beef, bacon, cherry tomatoes, corn, cheddar cheese, and condiments.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Rotini pasta: You can use any small pasta you prefer.
  • Chopped uncooked bacon and ground beef: You’ll cook both separately before adding it to the salad. Lean ground beef is a good idea to avoid too much grease.
  • Seasoning: Taco seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
  • Canned corn and cherry tomatoes: For sweetness and acidity. Both are widely used in Southwestern-inspired recipes.
  • Cheddar cheese and scallions: I always recommend grating your own cheese, but if you’re short on time, go ahead and use pre-shredded cheese.
  • For the dressing: Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, spicy brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot chili sauce.

How to Make Cowboy Pasta Salad

A glass bowl with mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce before being mixed into a dressing.

Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Cooked rotini pasta draining in a metal colander after rinsing.

Step 2: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Once it’s tender, drain it and rinse under cold water so it stops cooking and cools off before it meets the dressing.

Chopped bacon cooking in a large white Dutch oven, sizzling in rendered fat until crispy.

Step 3: Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy, then move it to a paper towel lined plate to drain. After that, pour off the grease from the bacon.

Seasoned ground beef browning in a Dutch oven, broken into crumbles with a wooden spatula.

Step 4: Brown the beef right in the same skillet, crumbling as you go and seasoning to taste. Because the beef picks up those smoky drippings, it comes out with even more flavor.

Cowboy pasta salad ingredients arranged in sections in a large glass bowl before tossing.

Step 5: Add the pasta, bacon, beef, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and scallions to the bowl with the dressing.

Overhead view of a large glass bowl of cowboy pasta salad with rotini, ground beef, corn, cherry tomatoes, bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onions.

Step 6: Now, toss until cowboy pasta salad is well combined. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

  • Drain the grease. Do this for the beef and bacon to avoid an oily, creamy dressing.
  • Make ahead. If needed, you can chill the cowboy caviar pasta salad in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes before serving.
  • Adjust the spice level. Add more or less chili sauce or red pepper flakes.
  • Brighten it up. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh scallions or squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top.
  • Variations. Toss in some black beans, diced jalapenos, extra veggies or diced red onions. Swap the scallions for cilantro, or use hot sauce in place of chili sauce.

Cowboy Pasta Salad FAQs

Can I use a different pasta?

Any short, sturdy shape works. Wagon wheels are a fun fit for the cowboy theme and their spokes catch the dressing well. Penne, shells, bowties, and elbow macaroni all work too. Just skip long noodles like spaghetti since they won’t hold onto the mix-ins.

What makes a pasta salad cowboy style?

Cowboy recipes take their cue from chuckwagon cooking, so they lean hearty and meat-forward instead of light and veggie-based. Here that means bacon, seasoned ground beef, corn, and a smoky BBQ dressing, the same flavors you’d find in cowboy caviar.

Should this be served warm or cold?

Both work. Tossed together right away it’s slightly warm from the beef and bacon and eats like a main dish. Chilled for 30 to 60 minutes it firms up into a proper cold side for a cookout.

Can I use fresh or frozen corn instead of canned?

Yes. Use about 1 1/2 cups. Grilled or charred fresh corn adds a little smokiness that plays well with the BBQ sauce, and frozen corn just needs to be thawed and patted dry first.

Overhead view of the finished cowboy pasta salad tossed in a large glass bowl with a wooden spoon.

More potluck favorites include cowboy caviar, loaded potato salad or dill pickle pasta salad.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

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Close-up of a wooden spoon holding a serving of cowboy pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, rotini, ground beef, bacon, and corn in a smoky, creamy dressing.

Cowboy Pasta Salad

4.67 from 3 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Packed with bold flavors in every bite, this cowboy pasta salad is made with tender noodles, bacon, seasoned ground beef, a creamy dressing, and Southwestern flavor!
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Ingredients 

  • 1 pound rotini pasta , or any small pasta
  • 1 pound bacon , chopped and uncooked
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 can (15 ounces) corn , drained
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
  • 3 scallions , diced

Dressing

Instructions

  • Boil Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook 1 pound of pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to prevent further cooking.
  • Sauté bacon: Meanwhile, sauté 1 pound of bacon over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet until crispy. Move cooked bacon to a paper towel to drain off grease. Remove grease from skillet.
  • Cook ground beef: In the same skillet, brown the 1 pound of ground beef, crumbling as you cook, until fully cooked and no longer pink. Season with 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning, a pinch red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Make dressing: In a large salad bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, 2 Tablespoons mustard, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, and 1 Tablespoon hot chili sauce.
  • Toss Salad: Add the cooked pasta, bacon, beef, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and scallions into the salad bowl; toss with dressing. Serve.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Although this is best enjoyed right away, you can store leftovers in a covered dish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 809kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 55g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 813mg, Potassium: 571mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 447IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 138mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.