This Tropical Pasta Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing is the perfect dish for a Memorial Day celebration.

Memorial Day is rapidly approaching {which means it’s the end of the school year – How is this a thing?} Usually we don’t do anything particularly special to celebrate the day, but this year, we actually have friends from south Florida visiting us for the weekend. I’m so excited to see them! I’ve already started planning what we’ll do, including a fun trip to the local springs to go tubing. They’ve never been, so I’m excited to share that with them! We’ll also have to set aside time for a delicious barbecue in our own backyard, which of course means I’ll have to include my latest recipe for Tropical Pasta Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing. I wanted to try something that was refreshing and reminded me of some of those awesome south Florida flavors, inspired by delicious Caribbean cuisine. I recommend trying this recipe at your next barbecue or picnic.

 

Tropical Pasta Salad Ingredients:

• 8-ounce box of Ronzoni® Homestyle™ Penne Pasta
• 1 cup diced mango
• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 T olive oil 
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Juice of two limes
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt + pepper, to taste

 

Tropical Pasta Salad Directions:

The first step is to gather your ingredients. I chose to make this a vegetarian recipe, but you can also add shredded chicken or even sliced steak to make it a complete meal rather than a side dish. Place a pot filled with water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Follow the directions on the box of Ronzoni® Homestyle™ Penne Pasta to achieve the perfect al dente pasta. Al dente means “to the bite” so it’s pasta that is perfectly cooked with the right amount of texture. This pasta is made from two simple ingredients: high-quality semolina wheat flour and fresh eggs. It actually won the 2019 Best New Product Award according to a brand survey conducted by BrandSpark International. You may also want to try the Ronzoni® Thick and Hearty™ Pasta. This thick cut pasta is made with a bronze die for added texture, inviting more sauce to fill every nook and cranny and less sauce to be left behind in your bowl. Both Ronzoni varieties are available at Publix.

While the pasta is boiling, prep the remainder of your ingredients. Open a can of black beans, then drain and rinse them. Canned beans are often my go-to for quick and easy meals. Slice the mango, pineapple, red onion, and jalapeño into bite-sized pieces. Pineapples can be bit tricky to cut, so I actually purchased them from the Publix produce section already cut, so all I had to do was discard the core and outer layer and dice the rest. When the pasta is cooked, strain it and set it aside to cool completely.

This creamy lime dressing is super easy to make with the help of a small food processor or blender. Simply add the mayonnaise, olive oil, garlic clove, fresh cilantro, and lime juice to the blender or food processor and pulse until you reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Combine the room temperature penne, black beans, mango, pineapple, red onion, and jalapeño, pour the dressing over it, and toss together.

Your Tropical Pasta Salad is now complete! You can serve it immediately or chill it in the refrigerator before serving. 

What are your Memorial Day plans?

Want to try this recipe? Pin the Tropical Pasta Salad image below.

[tasty-recipe id=”28697″]