Mexican Macaroni Salad [Ensalada de Coditos]

Name: Mexican Macaroni Salad [Ensalada de Coditos]
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cups macaroni (uncooked); 1 tsp olive oil; 1 cup corn (kernels); 1 tomato (medium); ½ red onion; 1 can mixed beans; 1 cup cilantro ((coreiander) chopped); salt (to taste); pepper (to taste); 1 cup salsa; ¼ cup sour cream; ¼ cup mayonnaise; ½ tsp cumin powder; 1 lime

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Our love for a Mexican-style pasta salad is a marriage of familiar Mexican staple ingredients and al dente elbow pasta. A 20-minute salad that keeps well and is an easy recipe to feed the family.

Mexican Macaroni Salad [Ensalada de Coditos] in a grey salad bowl with blue napkins and blue salad servers

Jump to:

Why You’ll Love Mexican Macaroni Salad
What is Ensalada de Coditos?
Was Macaroni Salad Invented in Italy?
How Do You Keep Mayonnaise from Separating in Macaroni Salad?
Recipe Overview
Ingredients
Variations and Substitutions
Instructions
How to Make This Salad Perfectly [Expert Tips]
Great Mains for This Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Recipe

Why You’ll Love Mexican Macaroni Salad

Ensalada de Coditos (elbow salad) is one of those family favourites that gets made repeatedly. What is it about macaroni that is so synonymous with comfort food?

This Mexican pasta salad is easy and uncomplicated. Made with pantry staples and much-loved Mexican ingredients, it’s just a matter of mixing everything in a large bowl and serving it up as it is. Nothing pretentious and ever so hearty.

There are so many versions of this Mexican-style macaroni salad, but we are making a meatless version that’s budget-friendly and one that can be made ahead of time. Also, really good for easy BBQ lunches, meal prep or for the kids to take to school.

If you’re throwing a Mexican-themed party, add our taco salad with Catalina dressing, charred corn avocado salad with roasted red onions, or spicy mango salsa with avocado to the mix.

What is Ensalada de Coditos?

Ensalada de Coditos literally translates to elbow salad. It is associated with big Mexican affairs with lots of food and a big celebration! It is bright, colourful and an easy companion to so many different Mexican favourites.

Mexican macaroni salad recipe is always made with elbow or macaroni pasta and has a creamy dressing that binds it all together. The ingredients that go into the salad will usually contain corn, celery, beans, bell pepper, jalapenos, cheese, ham, pineapple, onion, carrot and so on. For our seafood lovers, do try our shrimp macaroni pasta salad.

Was Macaroni Salad Invented in Italy?

While we always associate all pasta with Italian cuisine, this Mexican macaroni pasta is originally from the United States. Italians don’t eat pasta at room temperature and don’t toss their pasta through a creamy dressing that’s usually a mayonnaise-based concoction.

With strong Mexican influences, this macaroni pasta salad is very much a representation of a lot of American-style salads. Needing to alleviate the flavours of an otherwise bland starch, it is dressed with a mayo-based sauce, much like their love for potato salad (try our classic potato salad) and tuna salads.

How Do You Keep Mayonnaise from Separating in Macaroni Salad?

The key to this is cooking the pasta perfectly. If you undercook the macaroni, it won’t grab onto the mayonnaise and will appear to have separated. On the other hand, if you cook it for too long, the starchy pasta will absorb more of the mayonnaise, and the macaroni salad will dry out.

Recipe Overview

Flavour/Texture: Familiar is the best word to describe this salad recipe. Comforting macaroni tossed through a mayo-based salad dressing can never really go wrong! Corn, beans, tomatoes, and onions are every day ingredients we all know and love.

Ease: The only tricky part is getting the elbow pasta al dente. 7 minutes is perfect, and the rest of the process is super easy. Mix gently, and you’re done!

Time: 20 minutes is all it takes. Char the corn kernels and cook the macaroni at the same time to maximise productivity. The rest is just draining or defrosting and drying. The creamy salad dressing is just a quick mix, and you’re done.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients you need for Mexican macaroni salad:

Macaroni: Good old-fashioned dry macaroni boiled for 7 minutes for the perfect cook. Add some olive oil to the water to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Corn kernels: You can use fresh, canned, or frozen. If using canned corn, drain, give a quick rinse and pat dry. With frozen corn kernels, defrost and pat dry or sit on paper towels to absorb excess water.

Tomato: A nice ripe tomato, well diced for some freshness.

Red onion: Slice finely to give the salad some kick.

Mixed beans: A can of mixed beans, preferably Mexican favourites like black, pinto, and red kidney, would be best. Easily found on the shelves of the supermarket.

Salsa: A jar of your favourite salsa to form the base of the flavour of the dressing. You can use any kind, i.e. mild, chunky, garlic etc…

Sour cream and mayonnaise: If possible, full flavoured would be best, i.e. full dairy sour cream and whole egg mayonnaise. It will give the Mexican pasta salad a lovely creamy finish.

Cumin powder: A touch of cumin makes all the difference. Love the added savoury and nutty flavours.

Lime: Helps to cut through the creaminess of the dressing, and no real Mexican recipe omits lime!

Variations and Substitutions

Vegan and egg free version: For a vegan Mexican macaroni salad, use vegan sour cream and mayonnaise. The vegan mayonnaise will also provide you with an egg free recipe.

Dairy Free: Swap out the full dairy sour cream for a dairy free one for a dairy free Mexican cold pasta salad.

With meat: If you want a Mexican pasta salad with ham, simply add diced ham pieces throughout the recipe. For a Hawaiian mix, add some pineapple chunks as well.

Type of salsa: You can use any salsa you like. Mild, spicy, chunky, extra garlic, you name it, even better if you have homemade salsa ready to go.

Instructions

Step by step instructions for how to make Mexican macaroni salad:

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add 1 tsp of olive oil. Add macaroni and cook for 7 minutes or until al dente. Once cooked, drain the pot of macaroni and run under some cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to dry.

Heat fry pan at medium heat. Add corn kernels and toast for about 8 minutes until you get a lovely char. Set aside to cool down.

Cooking corn kernels in a fry pan on a stove top with a wooden spoon

Dice 1 medium tomato.

Thinly slice ½ red onion

Dicing tomatoes with a knife on a wooden board

Slicing red onion with a knife on a wooden board

Drain a can of mixed beans and give it a quick wash. Set aside to dry on paper towels.

Roughly chop coriander to yield 1 cup.

Bowl of mixed Mexican beans in a white bowl

Picking cilantro leaves over a wooden chopping board

How to Make Creamy Salsa Dressing

In a mixing bowl, add salsa, sour cream, mayonnaise, cumin powder and the juice of 1 lime.

Mix until well combined.

Putting mayonnaise into a bowl of sour cream and salsa

Mixing a bowl of ingredients for salas salad dressing

How to Assemble the Salad

In a large mixing bowl, add all the salad ingredients.

Glass bowl of ingredients to make Mexican Macaroni Salad

Pouring salsa salad dressing into a bowl of Mexican Macaroni Salad ingredients

Add the salad dressing and mix until well combined.

Mixing the ingredients of Mexican Macaroni Salad in a glass bowl

Serve.

How to Make This Salad Perfectly [Expert Tips]

Al dente macaroni: Cooking the macaroni perfectly is essential to getting this recipe to where it needs to be. It’s about getting that chewiness right and ensuring that the ingredients all bind well together.

Should the pasta be too soft, it will dry out the salad as it will absorb the mayonnaise. It is within its starchy nature to do so. However, if you undercook it, the macaroni won’t grab onto the mayonnaise and will appear separate from the pasta.

Dry your ingredients: My number one rule about making the perfect salad is always to ensure all ingredients are dry after washing, steaming, draining etc. It is the key, so investing in highly absorbent paper towels is a must.

Nothing worse than wet ingredients mixed with mayonnaise or a cream-based salad dressing pooling at the bottom of a salad bowl. This will only make the macaroni soggy.

Always rinse canned produce: Giving all canned vegetables a quick rinse before use is important. It also reduces sodium and removes any residue that may be sitting in the brine.

Great Mains for This Salad

What to serve with Mexican macaroni salad? Try these delicious main dish recipes:

We absolutely love our Mexican food so not better way to serve up this Mexican macaroni salad than with a delicious Mexican main. If you’re after a lighter meal or perhaps not in the mood for meat, these fresh fish tacos with pineapple salsa.

Otherwise you can’t go wrong with these chicken enchiladas verdes or birria de res (Mexican stew) recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is macaroni salad good for?

You can keep the macaroni salad in the fridge for up to 3 days. With the dairy component in the salad, it is best to be eaten quickly before it spoils.

Can you microwave macaroni salad?

A macaroni salad is designed to be eaten cold. However, eating at room temperature rather than cold from the fridge is recommended.

If you are eating leftovers and have time, let it sit out for a bit to get to room temperature. If not, a quick zap in the microwave will take the chill off for a more palatable salad.

What is the best cheese to add to macaroni salad?

Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese to add. Grate it and toss it through the salad for an easy homemade recipe.

This cold pasta salad is truly a crowd pleaser. Great for vegetarian days or if you’re cooking up a storm for family and friends. It’s also a really easy pasta salad to add your own take on, especially if you want to clear out the pantry. We hope you’ll love it!

That’s all!

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Close up a bowl of Mexican Macaroni Salad [Ensalada de Coditos] hovering over a large bowl of the same salad

Recipe

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