BBQ Pasta Salad

Every good cookout needs a good pasta salad to go with the grilled meats. Most pasta salads are fairly mild in flavor, sometimes just acting as a plate filler. Not this one, though. By adding in the bbq seasoning mix to the dressing, you get a burst of flavor with every bite. This easy zesty BBQ Pasta Salad is a fun flavor twist on your traditional pasta salad.

When you are preparing the vegetables, you want to cut them, uniformly, to be very close in size to the pasta. The best pasta to use for this recipe is called Ditalini. You might also see it titled Pasta Salad Pasta (which is how I found it in the bulk bin of my grocery). You can also use corkscrew or macaroni, if you are unable to find the smaller ditalini pasta. But I would suggest that you still cut the vegetables to the smaller size.

I have included the recipe for my BBQ seasoning blend at the bottom of the recipe card. It is fairly easy to put together. You can also substitute your own favorite bbq seasoning mix. If you are making the whole cookout, it’s best to use the same seasoning you used on the meat to really tie the flavors together. If you are making this salad to bring to someone else’s event or potluck, I would just suggest not using a blend that is overly slanted one way or the other (like too sweet or too smoky) and probably not spicy.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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BBQ Pasta Salad

An easy zesty pasta salad with a fun flavor twist from your traditional pasta salad.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword bbq sides, bean salad, Pasta Salad, pasta side dish, Side Dish, side dish ideas, side salads

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Refrigerator Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ditalini or other small pasta
• 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper diced
• ½ Medium Red Onion diced

For the Dressing

• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp BBQ Seasoning see recipe below

Instructions

• Start water boiling for pasta. Once water is to a rolling boil, add pasta. Cook until just starting to soften.
• Drain in colander and rinse with cool water (to arrest the cooking process). Allow pasta to cool to room temperature.
• Add vegetables to cooled pasta in a large bowl
• In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Pour over pasta and stir to combine. Serve right away or cover and place in refrigerator (up to 4 days).

Notes