Southwest Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

PinExt Southwest Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Chipotle Ranch Dressing:
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoon white vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
About 15 shakes of Chipotle Tabasco sauce (use more or less to taste)
Mash the garlic and salt to a paste, we used a mortar and pestle, but you can use the side of a knife too.

swpassalgarl1 Southwest Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

In a medium plastic container, whisk together the garlic, mayonnaise, buttermilk, parsley, chives, scallion, vinegar and pepper to taste. If the dressing is too thick, add a little more of the buttermilk.  Add the tabasco to taste.  Hint: If you make sure that all of the ingredients are really cold, then tasting it will yield a better idea of adjustments.  Tasting it a little bit warm, it’s not as good.  Close the container and put in the refrigerator to combine the flavors for at least an hour.

swpassalranch1 Southwest Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Pasta Salad:
3 lbs. Gemelli pasta (or whatever you like, I find that the Gemelli is hearty enough to stand up to this)
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced (if tomatoes are in season, use whatever you have on hand)
1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 big handful of fresh chopped parsley
1 bunch scallions chopped.

Cook the pasta according to directions, then rinse and cool (I just run cold water over it) and drain thouroghly.  Add all the ingredients to a very large plastic container (I buy the rubbermaid containers at the supermarket whenever they’re on sale).  Add the dressing and toss thoroughly to combine.  I like to put the salad in the fridge for a bit to chill a little, but you could certainly serve it at this point.  Serves a whole lot of people and hold up very well for up to 3 days in the fridge.

swpassal1 Southwest Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

This recipe can be halved, doubled, tripled, whatever you need, it translates very well.

PinExt Southwest Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing



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