This Ensalada De Coditos is undoubtedly a classic Mexican recipe. Elbow pasta is tossed with creamy dressing with crisp celery, carrots, corn kernels and flavorful peppers.
When I think of Ensalada De Coditos, I think of the perfect side dish to accompany any Holiday, Christmas & Mexican Party dishes. In Mexico, it’s usually served along with Frijoles Puercos for some classic dishes like Tamales, Shredded beef and Barbacoa.
This recipe is easy to make, tastes bright, flavorful, and it makes the perfect companion to other Mexican dishes. You can make it dairy free too!
FYI – This Mexican Pasta Salad is also known as Sopa Fria or Sopa Fria de Coditos.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Serves a Crowd
- So flavorful!
- Easy to Prepare
- Vegetarian
Ingredients
This pasta salad is so easy to make and once you have all ingredients ready, it comes together in no time.
- Elbow pasta (coditos)
- Carrots diced in small cubes
- Corn kernels – frozen will work here, just make sure to thaw them first.
- Fresh celery diced in small cubes
- Roasted red bell pepper diced in small cubes
- Pickled jalapeño diced in small cubes
- Pickled jalapeño vinegar
- Mexican crema (or Plant-based sour cream for a dairy free version)
- Mayonnaise or (Plant-based mayo, my favorite brand is Hellmann’s)
- kosher salt & fresh black pepper
***Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and written recipe.
How to make Ensalada De Coditos
- Cook macaroni in salted water according to directions on package (I added about 1/2 tbsp salt to the water).
- Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool. Let drain very well.
- In a large bowl stir together the rest of the ingredients and combine well.
- Add the drained elbow pasta and fold in gently to mix with the vegetable mixture.
- Taste for salt & pepper and add more according to taste.
Variations:
- Add some diced ham or cubed chicken breast.
- Add a little dijon mustard.
- Add chopped red onion according to taste.
Serving Suggestions
As mentioned earlier, this goes great as an accompaniment to party dishes like Tamales, Barbacoa, a Birria plate and served next to Frijoles Puercos. It also makes a great side dish for:
Chef’s Tips and Storing Notes
- Don’t over cook elbow pasta.
- Rinse your pasta when done! Pasta that is used for a cold pasta salad or macaroni salad should be rinsed. Not only does this cool it off, it also washes away extra starch that will cause the pasta to stick together.
- Cool the pasta thoroughly before mixing the other ingredients.
- Use good quality mayo.
- Be sure to add enough salt & pepper or it can taste bland.
Make Ahead:
This is a great dish for making the night before serving. Making it ahead of time actually gives the pasta some time to soak up all that flavor and makes for a cold pasta salad.
If needed you can add a little more mayo/crema the next day to freshen it up.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Macaroni salad will stay good refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or store in an airtight container to maximize freshness.
- Freezer: Not recommended.
Reheating
Not needed as it’s a cold pasta salad.
Side Dishes Recipes
I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Ensalada De Coditos (Mexican Macaroni Salad)
Ingredients
- 5 oz elbow pasta (coditos)
- ⅓ cup carrots diced in small cubes
- ⅓ cup corn kernels cooked
- ⅓ cup fresh celery diced in small cubes
- ⅓ cup roasted red bell pepper diced in small cubes
- 1 pickled jalapeño diced in small cubes
- 2 Tbsp of pickled jalapeño vinegar
- 3 Tbsp plant-based sour cream (or Mexican crema)
- 3 Tbsp plant-based or regular mayonnaise
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in salted water according to directions on package (I added about 1/2 tbsp salt to the water).
- Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool. Let drain very well.
- In a medium mixing bowl stir together the rest of the ingredients and combine well.
- Add the drained elbow pasta and fold in gently to mix with the vegetable mixture.
- Taste for salt & pepper and add more according to taste.
Muy Delish Notes:
- If you want an even richer, creamier dressing you can add more mayonnaise and crema until you reach the desired consistency. Do note that this will affect the calorie content.
- Macaroni salad will stay good refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, or store in an airtight container to maximize freshness.
Add Your Own Private Notes
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.
Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
Incredible! It’s for Silver State Foods Potluck on the day before Thanksgiving, and I’m taking this and a 2 liter of Sindral Apple soda. Thanks for the help!
This Mexican Pasta Salad is bursting with flavor and is the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy. It’s a refreshing and delicious dish that I can’t get enough of!
Thank you, Gianne! so glad you like it.
What a pretty looking cold pasta recipe! I like that it is easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Kechi! so happy you like it.
I love a pasta salad for taking to work and the flavours in this were amazing.
Thank you Dannii!! yes is good for easy to go lunch.
So good. The crunch of the celery and all the flavors! Amazing!!!
Thank you Dina and Bruce, so happy you like it.
This pasta salad is so fresh and full of flavor! I love how easy it is to make, too: perfect for potlucks. Thank you!
Thank you, Renee! yes is so easy to make for gatherings and also just for dinner.
Riquísima la ensalada de coditos y buen platillo para acompañar. Excelente ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Deliciosa pasta de coditos ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Awesome ?
I love to eat this Sopa Fria at parties! I see it a lot at weddings and quinceañeras lol! Can’t wait!