Taco Macaroni Salad combines the comfort of creamy macaroni salad with the bold flavors of a taco. Tender pasta is tossed with a creamy dressing made from cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and taco seasoning, then mixed with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions.
The finishing touch is a generous sprinkle of crunchy corn chips just before serving. It’s an easy, hearty salad that’s great for picnics, barbecues, potlucks, or as a fun side dish for any Tex-Mex meal. For the corn chips, I prefer H-E-B brand, but Fritos work just as well.
Taco Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or other pasta of your choice
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning or used packaged or see our taco seasoning mix
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped fresh
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 cup Corn Chips I prefer HEB brand , Frito's work
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and allow it to cool completely. To speed up the cooling process, rinse the cooked pasta under cold water after draining.
- In a large bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh lime juice, and taco seasoning until smooth and well combined.
- Once the pasta has cooled completely and is well drained, add it to the dressing. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions until evenly combined.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the corn chips over the top.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Art of Cooking Recipes (Paulson Pursuits} is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
