Southwest Macaroni Salad

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) box barillaplus rotini pasta
• 1 tablespoon lime peel, finely grated
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half (or grape tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, made with 2 percent milk, finely shredded
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 medium green onions, sliced
• 1 (16 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 1 (1 ounce) packet ranch dressing mix, use 1/2 package
• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup light sour cream

Recipe

• 1 cook pasta according to directions on the package. rinse with cold water to cool and drain .
• 2 in a small bowl whisk together the ranch salad dressing mix, buttermilk, fat-free milk, light mayo and light sour cream. stir in lime juice, lime peel and taco seasoning mix.
• 3 in a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with tomatoes, beans, cheese, green onions and green chilies. pour dressing mixture over the salad and toss gently to mix.
• 4 cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.