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Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad

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  • Prep 25 min
  • Total 25 min
  • Servings 6
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The popular, Texas-inspired cowboy caviar can take the form of dip, garnish, side dish and more, but in this recipe, it becomes a complete meal, and one that’s much better than anything you’d find in the grocer’s deli case. Packed with vegetables, beans and pasta, and dressed in a light and tangy dressing, it's flavorful, fresh and hearty enough to feed the whole family. And it comes in at a great price, since it can be made with leftover rotisserie chicken and seasonal vegetables—although frozen and canned work well, too! In the summertime, this cold salad is perfect dinner on a sticky night and a guaranteed potluck hit. Even better, it’s easily made ahead. So next time you’re in the kitchen, why not put on a pot of water to boil. With a few minutes of chopping, you can rustle up tonight’s—or tomorrow’s—dinner!
Updated Apr 23, 2019
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Ingredients

  • 1 box Betty Crocker™ Suddenly Salad™ classic pasta salad mix
  • 3 tablespoons cold water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (5 slices)
  • 1/2 cup Progresso™ canned black beans or black-eyed peas, drained, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn, cooked as directed on bag, cooled
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup diced fresh tomato
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red onion

Steps

  • 1
    Pour pasta (from Suddenly Salad box) into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Rinse with cold water; drain well.
  • 2
    In large bowl, stir together seasoning (from Suddenly Salad box), cold water, oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, pepper flakes and salt to make dressing.
  • 3
    Add pasta, chicken, bacon, beans, corn, bell pepper, tomato, cilantro and red onion to dressing mixture in bowl; toss to gently coat. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    For food safety purposes, frozen corn must be cooked before adding to pasta salad. If you want to skip this step, use canned, cooked or fresh sweet corn.
  • tip 2
    Prep ingredients ahead of time, and refrigerate so everything is ready to throw together when it’s time to eat. If you’ve made your pasta salad ahead, you might need to stir in a few teaspoons of olive oil to moisten the salad before serving.
  • tip 3
    This salad is delicious with either black-eyed peas or black beans—or both.
  • tip 4
    Turn your leftover rotisserie chicken or other leftover cooked chicken into a new meal with this recipe.
  • tip 5
    No time to cook bacon? Precooked bacon is convenient to use and sold in the meat section of the grocery store.
  • tip 6
    Add chopped jalapeño or serrano pepper for more heat.
  • tip 7
    In place of diced tomatoes, feel free to substitute halved grape or cherry tomatoes.

Nutrition

290 Calories, 10g Total Fat, 14g Protein, 38g Total Carbohydrate, 7g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Cup
Calories
290
Calories from Fat
90
Total Fat
10g
15%
Saturated Fat
2g
10%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
25mg
9%
Sodium
580mg
24%
Potassium
500mg
14%
Total Carbohydrate
38g
13%
Dietary Fiber
3g
15%
Sugars
7g
Protein
14g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
15%
15%
Vitamin C
15%
15%
Calcium
2%
2%
Iron
15%
15%
Exchanges:
2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
2 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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