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    Grilled Veggie Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

    Contributed by culinary partner Caytlin McCleery

    1676 days ago

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    Grilled Veggie Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

    When I'm grilling or using my smoker, if I've got extra space, I'm using it for additional meal prepping. It sure can make life easier on those busy days where all of the sudden 5 or 6 o'clock sneaks up on you and you realize you've got hungry mouths to feed.

    This Grilled Veggie Tex-Mex Salad is inspired by my love for Mexican flavors. The refreshing cilantro and lime, the charred street corn, black beans, cumin and all those other ingredients come together like a perfect fiesta.

    Believe it or not a cheese knife comes in pretty handy for making this salad. The Cutco Mini Cheese Knife with its smaller blade is just the right size for slicing cherry tomatoes.

    Using the Mini Cheese Knife to slice the tomatoes in half.

    For the rest of the knife prep, use a Vegetable Knife to chop the peppers and onions and then use its wide blade to scoop them up and toss them in the bowl.

    The Trimmer is handy for easily slicing or cubing the grilled chicken.

    The Trimmer is perfect for slicing up the chicken

    I love whipping up this dish for any potluck because it's not just a typical pasta salad. It's unique and filling and will for sure be the first one that’s gobbled up. The bonus is, it can come together pretty quickly especially if you've done the grilling previously.

    I love to use leftover grilled meat in it. It's pretty simple, but is bold in flavor. It’s a fantastic dish to have in the fridge for a quick dinner.

    Grilled Veggie Tex Mex Salad

    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    For the Spicy Ranch Dressing:

    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 jar (16-ounce) of green salsa
    • 1 packet of dry ranch dip mix (or 2 teaspoons garlic salt and 2 teaspoons onion salt)
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • 1-2 teaspoons chili lime seasoning

    For the salad:

    • 1 pound of fusilli pasta
    • Spicy Ranch Dressing
    • 3 grilled peppers, diced
    • 4 small corn-on-the-cob, grilled, kernals cut off the cob
    • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 1/2 red onion, chopped
    • 1 can (15.5 ounces) of drained and rinsed black beans
    • Chopped cilantro, to taste
    • 3 grilled chicken breasts, sliced or cubed

    Directions

    1. Make the dressing: Add all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
    2. Prepare pasta according to package instructions until al dente, drain and rinse in cold water.
    3. Stir the Spicy Ranch Dressing into pasta and then add in toppings and toss together.
    4. Add in any extras as you desire.

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    Caytlin McCleery

    About Caytlin McCleery

    Cooking Instructor and Cutco Champion

    Caytlin McCleery is the creator of Cayts Meats and Meals. She has a passion for tasty foods—especially those cooked outdoors. Cayt is a full-time mother to 5 beautiful, but busy, children. Cooking is not only a necessity for her and her family, but it’s an escape. She prides herself on feeding her family quality meals and puts a priority on making the kitchen a space for both learning and experimenting. Her passion for creating new recipes is what drives her to grow in the cooking world. And grow she has! Caytlin has guest appeared on many local television stations and is rapidly growing her brand. She and her family enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and are often camping and exploring all that nature has to offer. One of Caytlin's favorite styles of cooking would be barbecue. Everything from " Low and Slow" to open flame searing of steaks, that is where she finds the most culinary satisfaction.

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