Cowboy Pasta Salad
Updated
Updated
Bacon, ground beef, cheese, and hot sauce make this Cowboy Pasta Salad recipe a definite crowd pleaser! It’s perfect for an easy dinner, a hearty side dish, backyard BBQs, game day, or any time I want something simple and satisfying.
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5 STAR REVIEW
Easy Cowboy Salad Recipe
Ever heard of cowboy spaghetti? It’s a twist on classic spaghetti and meatballs, but with crumbled ground beef, bacon, hot sauce, and cheddar cheese. And apparently named as such because cowboys like that stuff, right? Who knows. All I know is my family loves it.
I thought it would be fun to adapt it into this Cowboy Pasta Salad, and it turned out amazing! I included lean ground beef, crispy hickory smoked bacon, cheese, and a tangy flavor-packed creamy dressing—it’s so hearty and flavorful.
I served it at a potluck I hosted—everyone flocked to it and wanted the recipe, so here it is. Horses, lassos, and spurs not included.
Cowboy Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried wagon wheel pasta*
- 1 pound hickory smoked bacon, , diced
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef, , swap for Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons hot chili sauce
- 15 ounce can whole kernel sweet corn**, drained
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 & 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 5 scallions, , diced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- In the meantime, saute bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off grease.
- Wipe out skillet, leaving a little of the bacon grease. Add the ground beef; cook, breaking it up into tiny crumbles, until cooked through and no longer pink. Season with cumin, red pepper flakes, and with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside to cool completely.
- In an extra large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and hot chili sauce until combined and smooth. Add in the cooked pasta, bacon, beef, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and scallions; toss to combine and coat.
- We enjoy this best right after it's assembled at room temperature, but leftovers the next day are definitely still delish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Cowboy Pasta Salad Step by Step
Gather the ingredients. Pull all the ingredients out of the fridge and pantry and lay them on the kitchen counter.
Make the pasta. Cook one pound of pasta until al dente, drain, and rinse under cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
Cook the bacon. Saute one pound of bacon until crispy, using a slotted spoon, and transfer to paper towels to drain off the grease. Wipe out the skillet, leaving a little of the bacon grease.
Cook the ground beef. Add 3/4 pound ground beef; cook, breaking it up into tiny crumbles until cooked through and no longer pink. Season with the 1 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Drain off fat. Set aside to cool completely.
Make the dressing. In an extra-large bowl, whisk together 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup barbecue sauce, 2 tablespoons Spicy brown mustard, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, and 2 ½ teaspoons hot chili sauce until combined and smooth.
Assemble. To the bowl with the dressing, add in the cooked pasta, bacon, beef, a 15-ounce can of corn, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 ½ cups cheese, and 5 scallions; toss to combine and coat.
Serve the pasta salad: Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
You can make the dressing and cook the ground beef and bacon the day before you need the salad, then assemble and serve fresh. Store each ingredient in a separate airtight container in the fridge.
If you’d like to assemble ahead of time, I recommend leaving out the tomatoes, then adding them right before serving. Reserve a little dressing or make extra, since it gets soaked up by the pasta sitting overnight and won’t be as creamy.
Cowboy pasta salad is best enjoyed at room temperature right after it’s assembled. The longer it sits, the more the tomatoes break down, and once chilled, the dressing isn’t as creamy. However, leftovers the next day are definitely still delish but don’t keep for more than 2 days.
What to Serve With Cowboy Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is quite hearty, so you can easily serve it for dinner as a full meal, but it’s also great as a side dish. It makes the perfect addition to any backyard BBQ or festive celebration. I like to serve portions topped with candied jalapeños. For those hot summer days, I wash it down with a refreshing Southern style sweet tea or an adult Alabama slammer!
Nice recipe enjoyed
What kind of BBQ sauce did you use? There are so many different types. I love a sweet one but should I use a more tangy variety?
I love sweet baby ray’s, but just use your favorite
We loved this. Especially on a hot summer night. The second time I made this/we held the tomatoes and put them on each serving to prevent the mush factor.
We love this salad. Granddaughter asked for it for her graduation dinner.
What aisle do you find the chili sauce in? When I google it, everything from sriracha to chili baked beans comes up ????
It should be with all the other condiments.
What is hot chili sauce? Is it like Tabasco or something else?
Hi Diane – No, it’s not the same as Tabasco. I recommend you do a quick Google search for a description and brand examples.
Love this!
This is a great pasta salad recipe; there’s enough protein to serve as a main dish for my husband’s lunchbox. I always substitute the grape tomatoes with a can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies, makes a huge difference in the flavor and kick. And I throw in the whole pound of ground beef because I hate having a tiny bit of ground beef left over in the fridge, kinda weirdly specific to require 3/4lb of ground beef. But otherwise I keep it as written. He loves it. I’ve also made it with ground turkey and ground chicken, just as good.
This is so delicious
I have made this, but I used grape tomatoes so they didn’t need to be cut in half and it solved the problem with the tomatoes breaking down after a day.
I made with chicken, Louisiana hot sauce and reg mustard. The family loved it
This is beautiful before it is mixed with the dressing! If I make this again, I will omit bbq sauce and add packet of ranch seasoning.
Just an easy, fun, and tasty meal! I had left over spicy ground chicken and substituted it in and added cucumber but the recipe is what made it great! Thank you!
Easy to put together and great meal on a hot day! Will definitely keep this recipe.
Made this tonight! OMG! It was so awesome & easy! Wil definitely make again!!
Made this for dinner. Super easy to toss together and was really tasty. I can see how this would be perfect for a pot luck
This recipe was surprisingly good. I think adding green chilis would make it better.
Loved it! I added black olives.
The only difference I made was – I served the tomatoes on the side, that way they didn’t break down if not all eaten that day.
I just made this and we can’t stop eating it!! I had cooked taco meat in the freezer so I just used that. I even used Banza chickpeas pasta (first time ever using them) and it tastes like regular pasta!
We will definitely make this again
Great meal for a hot weather evening! So easy to make and so great!
This was so easy to make and it turned out to be very delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Yummy
We love this recipe so much!! Super easy and delicious!
I really liked this recipe. It had a nice little kick, nothing too much but just enough. I would cut the mayo down to about 3/4 cup, but that is just my family’s preference.
Made this for Easter – everyone loved it!
Excellent! A nice change from regular pasta salad!
Made for a bbq today, delicious. Big hit. The dressing is great with this salad. Thank you for sharing.
Made this for a cookout. Absolutely loved this. Definitely making again
I want to make this but I have 4 different hot chilli sauces by different brands and each very different in taste. May I ask, what hot chili sauce did you use?
Added a little more seasoning, but it was great! Definitely making it again. I made everything the night before (without mixing) except the pasta and cutting the tomatoes. The day I was serving it, I just had to cook the pasta, cut the tomatoes and toss it all together. Everyone loved it.
Omg…. Made this for a forth of July party. I was asked for the recipe multiple time.
My MIL who doesn’t like spicy seriously loved this recipe in all aspects. If it was up to me, I would have made it even spicer.
Oh my gosh, this is sooo good, even using Morningstar original grillers instead of real ground beef, and I left out the corn because my husband doesn’t like corn. I cooked and crumbled 5 grillers and used it in place of ground beef. I am not a true vegetarian because of course, I eat bacon, who doesn’t, so I still made the rest of the recipe exactly as called for and it is addictive. Thanks for the recipe. Love it!
How spicy does this end eup being if you follow the recipe exactly?
we aren’t big spicy people but not sure if it will have the same wow factor if I leave out the hot sauce, spicy mustard, and pepper flakes
Hi Shannon – this recipe isn’t spicy at all! Just flavorful. I would try it without alterations first.
This is looking delicious and I am drooling over it.
Thanks for sharing this!
I hate mustard, so wondering what I can substitute?
I make this all the time and also don’t like mustard so I just leave it out and I think it tastes great!
This pasta salad is so yummy! I have brought this now to a few different summer outings, and it is definitely a crowd pleaser!
I made this for the first time today 6-16-19. For a Father’s Day side dish. It was simple and I tasted it and it’s yummy. I omitted a couple items like the hot chili sauce and red pepper flakes. I did use medium taco sauce. It really is yummy and I’m sure it will be a hit! Thank you for sharing!!
This recepie was the winner when my friend asked me to make a pasta salad… It did not disappoint… Amazing flavor and so beautiful and colorful… Oh and I should mention so easy to make
I just found your recipe and printed it to make this summer. Look amazing and all the right flavors. Reading thru the comments I see lots of ideas. I like using grilled chicken, black beans and no tomatoes, not a tomato fan. I think olives would be great. Thank you for a great summer salad.
An absolute hit! Have made it a few times. Very tasty and never any left over.
Do you think Frank’s hot sauce would be ok
Yep, that’s fine.
Which would go better in this dressing recipe, franks “hot sauce” or franks “hot CHILI sauce”?
Making this tomorrow for a potluck the following day. Would it be better to wait and add the tomatoes the day of the potluck? Thank you
It’s not critical, but the more it sits, the tomatoes will break down. So, if that’s not desired, I would wait to add them.
That was my thought. Thank you.
Am making this tomorrow for a potluck the following day. Would it be best if I waited to add the tomatoes the day of the potluck?
I made this last night as a meal and served it with corn chips. The kids and hubby all agree it’s a keeper :)
I’ve seen lots of comments about adding black beans. I think I’m going to try that as well as replacing the tomatoes with salsa next time.
We love chick peas and used those. Great!
My husband loves when I make this and my 18 month old enjoys it to!!
Did you put the corn chips in the pasta salad?
Try with ground pork sausage instead of ground beef. Absolutely amazing!
We loved this great salad! The dressing is absolutely wonderful. I did add some chopped pickled jalapenos. I will make it again soon, but I will have to cut the recipe down, since there are only two of us most of the time. I actually made this to take to a potluck and had plenty leftover. Potlucks always have so many good choices.
I made this tonight as is. DELICIOUS!! Thank you for a wonderful new salad to add to my family’s meal rotation.
I was only able to print out the first recipe not the second. How can I get a copy of the second salad which is shaped like a wheel and not all mixed together/
Hi Sandra – I have set a thumbnail photo with the printable recipe card, so that is the one that will print with ingredients/directions. Is there a reason you need the other photo? Thanks!
This is soooooo yummy. The whole family loves it. I substituted pork bacon for turkey bacon.
This was awesome! Whole family loved it…even the picky ones! Will make again and again. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Cold ground beef? I really wondered about this.,,
If the ground beef is drained properly then there’s not a problem with cold ground beef in a cold salad
When I cook ground beef I always rinse it using hot tap water then drain on paper towels. This rinses most of the grease away and can be eaten cold.
This sounds and looks delicious!! There are soooo many variations that can b used, added, changed or leave it just as it is!! I can’t wait to make this for this weekend!!
The perfect side for me would b serving nice, hot, fresh garlic bread! A glass (or 2 or 3) of wine would b delicious too!! Thanks so much for posting this recipe!!!
Has any one tried to add some black beans to this? I am so looking forward to making this.
You can definitely add in some black beans!
I added a can of black beans, green pepper and sliced olives. Really good.
I went to the top right corner, clicked on those 3 linez and chose open in chrome. That worked for me.
This salad makes a great main meal and the sauce is out of this world delicious!
Being a vegetarian I had to replace meat … I used frozen peas (which worked beautifully). I also used a product called “Bacon Salt” which has no salt or bacon in it but for all the world adds the flavor of bacon. I swear by that product. So there are wonderful ways of skirting around personal issues and still being able to try wonderful recipes!
I love the bacon salt!!! I also add McCormick barbaque seasoning to it. But I do love this pasta salad. I think I have made it four or five time since I found this recipe.
Do you add salad dressing or barbecue sauce just something to make it not so dry have never made it yet so just wondering
Great recipe, took it to a pot luck family reunion and got so many compliments, and requests for the recipe! Thanks it was awesome and not too spicy. Loved it!
Looks awesome. Would like to serve as a meal. Any suggestions on what to serve with it?
When I make this as a meal, I don’t serve it with anything else. It’s quite substantial on its own.
I served with a simple side salad, Great recipe!
Fresh bread with butter.
Would this be for 1 cup?
Thank you!!
I really love this but it seemed like too much Worcestershire to me. I think I will use half the amount next time.
Instead of cumin has anyone tried using a taco seasoning packet or would that be too much of a clash in flavors.
Great idea, have you tried it yet?
I am planning on making this for an extended family weekend as we are in charge of a lunch. I was going to make this and possibly get some costco potato salad or some other salad to go with it. How many would you say this would feed for a meal as opposed to a side? It says serves 10-12 but hard to know what that means.
Hi Caroline – servings are such a rough estimate, since a serving to one person could be barely enough for another. But it’s approx. 1 1/2 cups per person as a side. It would probably feed 6-8 as a full meal.
Since there is ground meat..is this served hot or cold?
Hi Cathy – please refer to the recipe card notes. Thanks!
why would u buy a premade salad from costco but make this pasta salad
And why would you serve a potato salad as a side to a pasta salad? That’s a lot of starch and mayo. Ugh.
i used salsa and ranch dressing mixed together for the dressing and just salt and pepper on the meat. it was very yummy
Did you put all the other stuff in it except the sauce cuz you made your own sauce.
Made this last night, easy to make and delicious!
We loved this dish. Thank you so much!
My husband and I LOVED this salad! I was out of green onions, but had fresh chives and cilantro so used that instead. Will definitely be making this one again!
So.. it’s hot sauce, not chili sauce? Because it’s two different condiments.
Hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha
I’m making this right now and I don’t have chili sauce. I’m going to add extra BBQ sauce. Think that’s ok?
I can’t wait to try this for the family.
I wanted to let you know these items are not available at United Express (that is our convenience stores). However, everything can be found at United, Amigo’s, Market Street, and Albertsons Market.
(I work for the United Family of Stores)
Delicious! Thank you for the great recipe! Followed your directions exactly and it was so tasty. Worked well as dinner on a hot day. We all went back for seconds and I’m looking forward to leftovers.
Excellent recipe — took it to a potluck and everyone enjoyed it. I made too much, however, and have a lot left. I put about two-thirds of it in the freezer and I am going to heat it next week and eat it hot as a casserole. Before I put the pasta in the mixture, I put some on a tortilla chip and it made a killer dip. It was so good.
An absolute hit! Have made it a few times. Very tasty and never any left over.
My family loved this! I made a healthy version using half the pasta and used whole grain shells, used 8 slices of turkey bacon vs 1lb of bacon, i used plain greek yogurt vs mayo, added in a cup of black beans, used mexicorn and used ground turkey vs beef. This will definitely be added to our rotation! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
I made this vegetarian by using Morningstar Crumbles and about 2/3 jar of imitation bacon bits. Oh my heavens this was good. I may try it later with real meat but it was great this way. Love the dressing!
We tried the recipe yesterday and the salad was so very delicious.
I made this for father day and made it with turkey. It was a hit. I didn’t have corn so I put in black beans.
Definitely going to make this recipe! I am going to add green bell peppers, pepperoni in place of ground beef (maybe both) and beans. Also, thinking about serving tomatoes on the side. I am excited to make this!?
Made this and added black beans. It was fantastic! Thank you for a great go-to recipe!
i tried to eat it cold… but did not like it… warmed it up and what a difference… it is not real spicy so you could add more pepper flakes to your likint…. like iot warm…..
Oh, really? We absolutely loved it cold. Didn’t change a thing. Awesome summer pasta salad! Definite keeper!
Made this tonight and loved it! Big hit with the family. Thought it was great cold…will be making it again for Father’s Day!
Made this tonight. Made a couple substitutions:
Used original Ro-tel diced tomatoes and chilies instead of the cherry tomatoes.
Diced up a whole onion instead of the scallions
Used a tad more BBQ sauce and doubled the hot sauce. I used siracha.
Came our AMAZING!!!!
Great meal in itself or as a side. Will be making it iften
This is fantastic and it is hard to make yourself stop eating it. LOL I can’t wait to take it for potlucks!
Made this and loved it! However, I replaced the ground beef with Chicken, and the the cherry tomatoes with black beans. Absolutely freaking amazing.
This looks dry, should the sauce be doubled?
Hi Karen. It’s not dry at all. But if you prefer your pasta salad to be swimming in sauce, then maybe you should double it. Personal preference!
I thought it would be dry also, but it wasn’t. Just perfect.
Is it a Chinese chili sauce you used.
No. This is hot chili sauce, such as Sriracha if you don’t have access to the Safeway brand I used.
It looks dry in the picture but it really isnt. Plenty of sauce.
Someone said they can’t eat spicy food and asked if it would still taste good with out the hot sauce . I used to make a salad dressing out of dijon mustard and BBQ sauce and it was fantastic, those are ingredients in this, so I think it would taste great with out the pepper & hot sauce. Just serve them on the side if you want.
I don’t like spicy. I made it with the spicy brown mustard but no hot sauce and no red pepper. It was awesome!
This looks amazing, Amy. I cannot wait to try it!
I just made this amazing, delicious salad! It turned out perfect! I also used the frozen corn in a bag that you microwave and I let it cool before adding to the salad. I also halved grape tomatoes and then blotted them with paper towel so not to add any moisture to the salad. Think I might add drained black beans next time. Excellent recipe!!
This. Is. Amazing. Love the flavor! I left out the ground beef only because I made this as a side for BBQ beef brisket sandwiches. Thank you again.
What a great change from the typical pasta salad. I’ll definitely give it a try.
Wow, that is a salad! Yummy. Love all the flavors.
Do you serve it hot or cold?
Everything is cooled completely before mixing, and then served at room temperature. Or you can chill until read to serve. Please refer to the recipe directions. Explains how to make it. Thank you!
Would it hurt to heat it, I made it tonight and it was a big hit, but I would love to heat it and try it with the cheese, burger, and bacon hot…I’m not an experienced cook, so I didn’t know if I could heat the mayo
The intention behind this recipe when I created it, was to be served as a cool/cold pasta salad, but a few people on Facebook have said they ate it warm and loved it, so you could try it!
Thank you, everyone loved it….91 degrees out today, so the cold pasta was perfect, but I will try to heat it , because I have some leftover!
If I wanted to make this halal for a block party or school potluck that could include Muslim neighbors, would you recommend simply removing the bacon or replacing it with turkey bacon or something else?
Thanks!
I’d probably just leave it out, but using turkey bacon would work, too. Or you could replace it with diced up grilled chicken.
Made this last night for the family. Big hit! Didn’t change anything. I do like the suggestion of adding beans so I will try that next time. And there will be a next time – I’m thinking Father’s Day. Thanks for such an easy delicious recipe!
Hello! I need nutritional information please as am diabetic so carbohydrate count is important. Thanks!
I don’t have that Ginger, sorry! But there are online food calculators that can gather that information for you by plugging in all the ingredients and amounts.
I’m diabetic too. The pasta will add too many carbs for us and I’d use low or no sugar BBQ sauce. Use white beans instead of pasta…fewer carbs and more protein.
Great idea!
I made this tonight and my meat and potatoes Redneck man loved it. He had two big helpings!! I can see using that sauce in other salads. I don’t have a Safeway anywhere near me but I was able to find all the stuff . I thought I had BBQ at home but I didn’t so I made my own. Just an experiment in making BBQ that came out amazing. Thanks for the great recipe. With this Texas heat I’m looking for things that won’t heat up my whole house.
Yay!
Just wanted to know what the calorie count per serving is tyia
Delicious! Added a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans for extra protein. Left out pepper flakes but so good. I love cold dishes for summertime meals!
Love the addition of beans! Will try that next time. Thanks Heather, glad you enjoyed it!
This looks so good however I can not eat hot or spicy. Would this be just as good without those?
The hot sauce adds a little kick and additional flavor to the dish, so I can’t say it will be as good without it, but you could try!
Is the chili sauce like with the hot sauces?
Yes!
What specific brands to use for the chili hot sauce? Someone mentioned Siracha. Other options?
I personally would only use Sriracha if you don’t have access to the Safeway brand.
I usually make a pasta salad for family parties. I think I am going to make this one instead. It looks yummy.
Headed to the store right now for the ingredients! Will have to use Sriracha as no Safeway’s etc around here.
Have you tried this with shredded chicken in place of the hamburger?
No, but I bet that would be delicious too…especially if the chicken is grilled!
I like that idea.
Girl this is amazing! My aunt makes something like this and I always wanted to try making it. After seeing this I know I can’t wait any longer!
What chili sauce do you recommend? This looks delicious.
I used the Safeway Signature brand, but if that’s not available to you, Sriracha is great!
Okay this looks perfect! Especially eating it next to a pool! SO HOT ALREADY!
Everything is better next to a pool! HA. Thanks, Karen!
This looks so incredibly delicious! The dressing sounds so good…. perfect for my summer potlucks!
Indeed! Thank you, Holly!
Brilliant pasta salad idea. I love it!
Thank you, Melissa! I was quite proud of myself, too. LOL. It’s really good!