Make filling lunches a breeze with my taco pasta salad. Hearty taco meat topped with beans, colorful veggies and an easy yogurt dressing, it's sure to be a new staple.
As someone who hates a soggy salad but loves having something that is fresh, flavourful and filling pasta salads have become my go-to meal prep lunch. Not only are they so easy to customize with different toppings such as a dill pickle pasta salad, BLT pasta salad or even a pesto pasta salad they also can be a great balanced lunch option.
Tacos are by far one of my favorite meals so I knew I had to create a taco-inspired pasta salad. This is all the best parts of a pasta salad including fresh pasta, crunchy vegetables and a homemade creamy dressing, while containing the flavor of well seasoned tacos. This is one of those recipes that is sure to become a staple for everything from easy meals to potlucks! Definitely give it a try.
Taco Pasta Salad
Why This Recipe Is Dietitian Approved
- Perfect for a meal prep lunch. Who wants a soggy salad that only lasts a few hours in the fridge? This taco pasta salad is the perfect option for quick lunches all week long!
- Great source of protein. This taco pasta salad also features taco seasoned lean ground turkey and black beans for the perfect combination of plant and animal protein for a high protein meal prep friendly lunch.
- Sneaky source of fiber. One of my favourite ways to increase the fiber of meals is adding lentils to the pan when cooking ground meat.
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad
- Lean Ground Turkey - For our ground protein of choice we are using turkey! However feel free to substitute with ground beef, lamb or chicken!
- Lentils- I also love adding canned lentils into my ground meat for added fiber.
- Black Beans - Similar to my black bean tacos we are PACKING in the fiber by adding additional canned black beans.
- Low Sodium Taco Seasoning - For ease I recommend using a low sodium taco seasoning to seaosn your ground turkey however I have also provided ingredients for a homemade version in the recipe card below.
- Corn- canned, fresh or frozen corn kernels will all work! Just make sure if they are fresh you cook them first by boiling.
- Green Onions - For a wonderful mild onion flavour we use green onions (both the whites and greens).
- Bell Pepper- for a sweet and crunchy addition!
- Cilantro - Cilantro is the perfect way to add freshness to this hearty salad.
- Bell Peppers - Red bell peppers tend to offer the sweetest taste.
- Cherry Tomatoes - I chose to include cherry tomatoes as they tend to hold their shape better in pasta salads than larger varieties of tomatoes.
- Fusili Pasta- Any twisted or closed shape of pasta such as rotini, fusili, macaroni will work great!
For the Yogurt Dressing
- Greek Yogurt - To lighten up the homemade dressing we use plain Greek yogurt as the base.
- Lime Juice - For a fresh flavour! I recommend using fresh lime juice if available.
- Mayonnaise - To add a more creamy taste and texture.
- BBQ Sauce- Look for a low sugar version- Stubb's is my go-to for recipes because of the shorter ingredient list and lower sugar content.
- Spices- The dressing comes together with spices such as paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper!
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
**I always start by cooking my pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked I place it directly in the fridge/ freezer to cool!
- Step 1: To a pan over medium-high heat add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the ground turkey. Cook, stirring frequently until no longer pink in colour. Once cooked through season with taco seasoning and stir in lentils. Set aside to cool.
- Step 2: To a large bowl add cooked pasta. Then layer with cooked ground meat/ lentils and all additional toppings.
- Step 3: Make the yogurt dressing by whisking together yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, BBQ sauce and spices until smooth and creamy.
- Step 4: Drizzle dressing over the salad. Toss to combine.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: To make this taco pasta salad gluten free the only wrap you need to make is for a gluten free pasta- my favourite gluten free brand (that doesn't fall apart) is Catelli look for the blue boxes!
To make dairy-free: The salad itsself does not contain any dairy, however the yogurt dressing does. To make this dairy free substitute the Greek yogurt with a thick non dairy yogurt of choice.
To make nut-free: This pasta salad is naturally nut free!
To make a vegetarian taco pasta salad: Simply leave out the ground turkey! I recommend cooking the lentils in the seasoning for the best flavour!
I always try to keep the ingredient lists in my recipes as short as possible however there are always ingredients that can be substituted or added! Some of my favourite optional toppings include:
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Diced jalapenos
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Romaine lettuce or chopped kale/ spinach
Equipment
Storage
This pasta salad is perfect for meal prep or to be made ahead of time before a large gathering! Once made, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
If you are looking for longer storage you can omit the meat to extend the freshness by 2 days!
Top Tips for Success
- For the best flavour don't forget to salt your pasta water!
- I HIGHLY recommend using a pasta shape such as rotini, fusili , macaroni or shells, these are always my recommendations for pasta salad as they lock in all the dressing!
- For added greens- don't be afraid to mix in some shredded lettuce or finely chopped spinach/ kale!
Frequently Asked Questions
You do not! I personally love adding the additional fiber and protein however you can absolutely choose to just add one (or none)!
Of course! Turkey can be replaced with ground beef, ground lamb, ground veal or ground chicken!
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More Pasta Salad Recipes
It's no secret I think pasta salad is the ultimate meal prep option, so here re a few of my other favourites:
See you in the kitchen!
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this taco pasta salad, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Taco Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2.5 cups fusili uncooked
- 1 lb ground turkey (or ground meat of choice)
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 package low sodium taco seasoning *see note below for homemad version
- 1 can (540ml) lentils rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen and defrosted)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 can (540ml) black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 3 green onions sliced (both the whites and greens)
For the yogurt dressing
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt 2% works best!
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 limes just the juice
- 1.5 tablespoon low sugar BBQ sauce Stubb's is my favourite
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- To a pan over medium-high heat add olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the ground turkey. Cook, stirring frequently until no longer pink in colour. Once cooked through season with taco seasoning and stir in lentils. Set aside to cool.
- To a large bowl add cooked pasta. Then layer with cooked ground meat/ lentils and all additional toppings.
- Make the yogurt dressing by whisking together yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, BBQ sauce and spices until smooth and creamy
- Drizzle dressing over the salad. Toss to combine.
Melinda I Kenny says
So easy and great for meal prep. Just made it for this week. Initial taste test from the family this dish is yummy and a nice change up from our normal taco bakes.
Kimberly says
Great combination! I am going to try swapping Greek yogurt with cottage cheese and I don’t have BBQ sauce. Any suggestions?
Hannah says
I made this recipe as part of meal prep for lunches, and we absolutely loved it! We will be coming back to this recipe again! 🙂
Kimberly says
Did you make any substitutions? I’m snowed in today and have 90% of the ingredients. Missing Greek yogurt and BBQ sauce…