Pasta Salad with a Creamy BBQ and Ranch, Sour Cream Sauce is a pasta side dish that you’ll be devouring all Summer. Just add black beans and tomatoes.
Because the last two weeks have been so busy, I’m just now finding myself looking up for the first time.
You see, I’ve started Culinary School in Denver. Downtown Denver during the day, all day, every day is so very far out of my social and cultural bubbles. So much new scenery to take in, both in the human and the landscape arenas. It’s been a great adventure for me.
My days now consist of getting to the Light Rail Station very early in the morning for a 30-minute train ride which drops me off at Denver Union Station in time to walk about a mile to the Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in time for the school bell to ring.
The program is an accelerated curriculum, so we’re packing a lot of information into every single day. There is daily testing, which demands a lot of studying and homework. I’m loving every minute of it. You’ll surely be hearing more about that as time goes on.
But for now let’s talk about this pasta salad. Tis the season. Pasta salad ingredients are so versatile once you get the sauce just right. For this creation, I wanted something that would stand up to and compliment the wonderful flavor and texture of a beef brisket.
I’ve also served this with Smoked Chicken with Cherry BBQ Sauce. Scrumptious.
I was very pleased with the end result. So much so I started planning the cast of characters for the next batch.
For this trial run, I kept it simple with black beans and cherry tomatoes. Next time maybe some kernels of sweet corn? Maybe some thin strips of corn chips? The sauce is a dreamy combination of BBQ Sauce, Ranch Dressing and Sour Cream.
We all like creamy pasta salad recipes and we all like easy pasta salad recipes. This one is a crowd pleaser. Let’s take a look:
Creamy BBQ Ranch Black Bean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound Rigatoni Pasta or other interesting tube shaoe
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 Cup BBQ Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Homemade Ranch Dressing
- 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 14.5 ounce Can Black Beans Drained and rinsed
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes halved
Instructions
- Cook Pasta according to directions on package. Before draining, reserve about a cup of the starchy pasta liquid.
- In the meantime combine Sour Cream, BBQ Sauce, Homemade Ranch Dressing, Mayonnaise, Black Beans, onion and tomatoes. Drain pasta and return to the pan that you cooked it in. Pour in the pasta water until the pasta seems creamy. I usually use about 1/2 cup or a little more.
- Once the pasta has cooled a bit, pour over the salad ingredients in the large bowl. Mix well and serve at room temperature.
Nutrition
Creamy BBQ Ranch Black Bean Pasta Salad … It’s what’s for a Summer Pasta Salad
