Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad

The best of both worlds collides in an explosion of flavors, textures, and colors Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad brings to the table. There’s no need to decide between these two favorite barbecue sides, proving you can have it all and eat it too.

It’s no secret how much I love a good pasta salad, like Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad or Pimento Cheese Macaroni Salad. It’s in my top two favorite sides for any occasion, both for the endless possibilities of flavors, and also how it’s ideal for entertaining a crowd with. My other favorite barbecue side is Texas caviar.

This Texas caviar macaroni salad combines the best of both. All of the fresh and vibrant vegetables and tender beans basking in a tangy dressing of cowboy caviar joins forces with al dente pasta and a creamy and dreamy sauce for a fun mashup. It’s a total party in a bowl that goes perfect with your favorite cold beer.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy Process – Anyone can make this Texas caviar pasta salad. The only actual cooking involved is boiling your pasta and charring your corn. Even the step of grilling up the corn can be replaced by using canned corn.
• Budget Friendly – This macaroni salad recipe makes a lot and uses budget friendly ingredients like canned black-eyed peas, and canned black beans. If you’re looking for something to serve a crowd, this is it!
• Simple Ingredients – This Texas caviar macaroni salad combines pantry staples like canned beans and canned diced tomatoes with green chilies with easily accessible fresh ingredients like celery, corn, and bell peppers. You can easily pick everything up at your local grocery store.
• Texture – This salad packs that crave worthy crunch factor. It also replaces some of the traditional ingredients that tend to get soggy. Instead of fresh tomatoes that get soft and watery canned tomatoes are used…think the Texas favorite Rotel. In addition, the avocado is used as an optional topping instead of being added directly to the pasta salad. This helps it store better.

What is Texas Caviar?

I am the daughter of a proud native Texan and grew up experiencing the rich and bold flavors of the state. One of my absolute favorite dishes is the tangy and bright bean salad referred to as either Texas caviar or cowboy caviar. It almost always includes black eyed peas but will occasionally include other beans like black beans or pinto beans.

Texas caviar was developed around 1940 by American chef and cookbook author Helen Corbitt. The New York born chef created the dish to be served at the Houston Country Club on New Year’s Eve. Living in the south, it’s an absolute must to eat black eyed peas for the new year as they’re a symbol of luck. After she served the dish at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas it was given the name Texas caviar as a tongue and cheek comparison to the pricy high end hors d’oeuvre.

Now there are endless variations of Texas caviar, with additions like corn, tomatoes, scallions, and cucumber being found in recipes. Some call for a simple tangy vinaigrette while others use the quick and easy ingredient of bottled Italian dressing.

Ingredient Highlights

• Vegetables – Fresh, sweet corn is charred on the grill to give that irresistible smoky flavor. Cucumbers and celery add both crunch as well and bright freshness. Red bell pepper adds sweetness while a jalapeno gives a little sassy kick. Don’t forget the red onion for that savory element! Instead of adding avocado to the salad itself use it as a garnish to keep the macaroni salad fresh.
• Canned Goods – Black eyed peas and black beans add texture and creaminess while being the star of the Texas caviar portion of this recipe. Instead of the traditional fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes with green chilies add tang while holding up well and not making the pasta soggy.
• Creamy Dressing – The base of the dressing starts with high quality mayonnaise like the southern favorite Duke’s. Red wine vinegar and lime juice add tang while hot sauce gives a little heat. Chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, and garlic powder deliver on bold flavor.
• Fresh Flavors – Cilantro and scallions add bright freshness and an herbaceous note.

How to Make Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad

• Char your corn. Heat your grill to around 400 degrees and prepare it for direct grilling. Place the corn cobs on the hot grates. Rotate them every couple of minutes until all sides are charred. Allow them to cool enough to handle and then remove the kernels from the cob.
• Cook your pasta to al dente. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add a tablespoon of salt. Once dissolved cook the pasta until it is just al dente. Drain it and give it a rinse to stop the cooking and re move the starch.

• Prepare your mise en place. Chop all of your vegetables into a fairly even, small size. You want then around the same size as the pasta. Drain the beans and give them a good rinse. Drain your canned tomatoes.
• Mix together the dressing. Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, lime juice, seasonings, and hot sauce to a bowl and stir to combine.
• Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and toss with the sauce. Really, you will need a large bowl for this. Pour the dressing over the top and gently fold until everything is combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• Let refrigerate. Allow the Texas caviar pasta salad to refrigerate for at least an hour. Give it a stir before serving and adjust if you want it a little creamier. The vegetables will let off just a little liquid.
• Garnish and serve. Top with fresh avocado, lime wedges, and cilantro.

Variations

• If fresh corn isn’t available you can use canned corn.
• Feel free to use all black eyed peas or use pinto beans instead of black beans.
• We love cheese in our macaroni salads in the south. Top your cowboy caviar macaroni salad off with either queso fresco or cotija cheese.
• Instead of fresh jalapenos use pickled jalapeno for a tangy element.
• Replace the red bell pepper with either an orange or yellow bell pepper.
• Skip the bell pepper and char a poblano or two on the grill alongside your corn.
• Make this pasta gluten free by using your favorite gluten free pasta.
• Use any small pasta shape for this cowboy caviar pasta salad. Elbow macaroni is the classic choice but other shapes like shells, rotini, and radiatori all work.
• Texas caviar is traditionally served with tortilla chips or corn chips. Feel free to crumble some over the top just before serving for extra crunch.
• Not everyone likes the bite of red onion. Soak the diced onion in salted ice water for 30-60 minutes. Drain, rinse, and dry. Or you can also use sweet onion.

Storage

Because this is a mayonnaise-based pasta salad, you will want to keep it refrigerated in an airtight container unless it’s being served. It will last for up to five days refrigerated. Keep in mind that the vegetables will release a little liquid as it sits so give it a good stir before serving. This will help make it creamy.

Tips From the Beach

• Don’t skip the step of rinsing your pasta and allowing it to drain well. Unlike most pasta recipes where you want that excess starch to help the sauce marry to the pasta, it is not needed for a chilled pasta salad.
• Just personal preference, but I’ve found organic canned beans have the best texture. They always seem a little more tender. Also go for a lower sodium option if available.
• Pasta absorbs a lot of flavor. Feel free to add a little more seasoning, vinegar, or lime juice after it has refrigerated for an hour. Want it creamier? Add more mayo.
• For an extra zip squeeze fresh lime juice over the vegetables and allow them to marinate while you cook your pasta.
• Cucumbers let off a lot of liquid. Use English or Persian cucumbers for this recipe and for the best results remove the seeds.

Looking for more recipes with charred corn? Make sure to check out Chicken Fajita Soup.

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