Chorizo Pasta Salad
Kitchen Tested 
- Yield 8 servings
- Prep 15 mins
- Cook 30 mins
Fresh Mexican chorizo sausage jump-starts the taste of this tailgate party-perfect pasta and bean salad.
If you can’t find chorizo, use spicy Italian sausage. And if you don’t have oil and vinegar, use about ½ cup of purchased vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (two cups) small shell pasta
- 12 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo sausage (about 3 links), casings removed
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup prepared salsa, preferably fresh
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped poblano or Anaheim chili
- 2 cups cooked or canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco
Instructions
- Before You Go: Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- Crumble chorizo into small skillet and cook over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until browned, breaking up meat into small chunks with spoon. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Put vinegar in a medium serving bowl. Whisk in oil in a steady stream until incorporated. Stir in salsa, bell pepper, poblano chili, beans, cilantro, chorizo-garlic mixture and cooked pasta. Chill until serving.
- When You Get There: Top with queso fresco and serve.
Recipe by David Joachim
