Pepper Jack Mac Salad

Name: Pepper Jack Mac Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4-6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 lb elbow macaroni or 1 lb cavatappi pasta; 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted; 1 red bell pepper, chopped; 1 small red onion, chopped; 4 celery ribs, chopped; 8 ounces monterey jack pepper cheese, diced; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball it; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it; 1 cup tomatillo salsa (mild, green) or 1 cup chipotle salsa (hot, smoky red); 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped or 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley; salt and black pepper

Submitted by Kana K.

"A good crunchy mac salad with a little kick to it."

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photo by Kana K.

Ready In:: 20mins
Ingredients:: 11
Serves:: 4-6

ingredients

1 lb elbow macaroni or 1 lb cavatappi pasta
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
8 ounces monterey jack pepper cheese, diced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball it
¹⁄₄ cup extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it
1 cup tomatillo salsa (mild, green) or 1 cup chipotle salsa (hot, smoky red)
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped or 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
salt and black pepper

directions

Bring water to a boil, salt it and add pasta.
While pasta water is coming up to a boil and cooking, combine corn, pepper, onion and celery in a bowl with pepper Jack cheese. Season the veggies with salt and pepper.
Run pasta under cold water to cool it and drain it well. Add pasta to vegetables and cheese.
Place vinegar in a small bowl and whisk in extra-virgin olive oil, then fold in salsa. Pour sauce over salad and toss to coat evenly. Garnish salad with cilantro or parsley and serve.

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Reviews

I wanted to love this salad. It is easy to prepare and it is very colorful. I thought the taste, however, was a bit bland. I used the tomatillo salsa, but I was able to find it in medium heat because we prefer the kick (the store did not have chipotle, which I might have preferred). I think the salad as is, needs a little dressing up. Definitely a significant amount of salt and pepper, more red wine vinegar. Since I have a lot left over, I might experiment with our individual portions, such as adding sriracha or even possibly Dijon, to give it more of the flavor I'm looking for.

Dr. Jenny
A great summer salad well deserving of 5 stars. I served this with grilled chicken recipe#288061 , a green salad and garlic bread. I opted not to make the dish spicy using mild salsa and mozzarella cheese. We enjoyed this dish very much and will make it again very soon. Thanks for sharing.

Dotty2