This jalapeño popper pasta salad channels all the flavours of jalapeño poppers in pasta salad form. Made with roasted fresh jalapeños, cheddar cheese and pasta, all in a cream cheese-flavoured dressing.
I tried a store-bought jalapeño popper pasta salad recently, and I’m not ashamed to say I just couldn’t handle the heat. So I decided to try my hand at a tamer version :)
There are all the flavours of jalapeño poppers with cheddar cheese, roasted fresh jalapeño peppers and pasta, all tossed in a cream cheese-flavoured dressing. And while I toned my version down, you can certainly ramp it up to your taste as you like.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Jalapeños– I’ve started with fresh jalapeños here that I quickly roasted in the oven. I find roasted fresh jalapeños bring the flavour most similar to jalapeño poppers. In a pinch, you could use drained, canned jalapeños, though the flavour profile will be a bit different.
Pasta – I’ve used rotini (corkscrew) pasta here. I love how well it holds the sauce in all the nooks and crannies. Any short pasta will work here, such as fusilli, penne or bowtie.
How to make jalapeño popper pasta salad
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.
- Start by cooking the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking and set aside to drain and cool.
- Place the jalapeño slices onto a baking sheet and set under the oven broiler.
- Broil the jalapeño slices until bubbly and blackened, then remove to a paper or plastic bag for 5 minutes. Peel off and discard the skin,
- Prepare the parsley, cheddar cheese and jalapeño for the salad.
- Add the dressing ingredients to a food processor.
- Process the dressing until well combined.
- Add the dressing to the pasta in a large bowl.
- Add the additional chopped, roasted jalapeño, extra shredded cheddar cheese and chopped parsley to the salad and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe tips!
- I tempered the spiciness in my salad by roasting the jalapeños, so if you prefer a spicier salad, simply add some fresh jalapeño to the dressing. You can add a few seeds too, if you like!
- Be sure to cook the pasta just to al dente, as pasta salads are best if the pasta has a bit of bite. Rinsing the pasta thoroughly with cold water after draining will stop the cooking and prevent it from cooking further, preserving the al dente texture.
- Don’t skip the salt and pepper to really bring out all the great flavours in the salad.
Variations
If your vision of jalapeño popper pasta salad includes bacon, simply stir in cooked, chopped bacon at the end.
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Get the Recipe: Jalapeño Popper Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz short pasta, such as rotini, fusilli, penne or bowtie
- 2 medium jalapeño peppers
- 1/3 cup cream cheese
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream, or Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process. Let drain well then transfer to a large bowl.
- Tip! If you'd like a spicier jalapeño flavour, roast half of the jalapeño and leave the other half raw. Add the roasted jalapeño to the dressing, and finely dice the raw jalapeño to add to the salad. You could also throw in a few seeds if you really want to amp it up.
- Meanwhile, trim the sides from the jalapeño peppers, discarding the core and seeds. Lay the slices onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet about 6 inches from the broiler element in the oven and broil the jalapeños until blackened in spots, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a paper or plastic bag, seal it up and let stand 5 minutes.
- Remove the jalapeños from the bag and use a paring knife to peel the skin off the of the jalapeños, discarding the skin. Set aside.
- Make the salad dressing by adding the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic and a bit of salt and pepper to a food processor (or blender). Add HALF of the roasted jalapeños to the food processor. Shred the cheddar cheese and add half to the food processor as well. Process the mixture until well combined and creamy (won't be completely smooth). Taste the dressing. Add additional salt and pepper if needed. You can also add another Tablespoon of cream cheese if you like a stronger cream cheese flavour. If the dressing is too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it a bit.
- Add the dressing to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the remaining shredded cheddar cheese and the parsley. Finely dice the remaining roasted jalapeños and add to the bowl as well. Toss well to combine and coat the pasta well with the dressing. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
More pasta salad recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Very, very good. Like you, I added all the jalapeno to the blender, but I did forget to let the creme cheese warm up a bit, my bad. Added some milk and everything worked out fine. Even added some extra milk as all I had was German Egg Broad Noodles and think the slightly thinner sauce spread easier without breaking the noodles.
Wonderful salad. Love it. Thank you.
Gwen
So glad you enjoyed it, Gwen :) Thanks so much!