This BBQ Pasta Salad is sure to be unforgettable at your next potluck or summer party! This delectable salad is loaded with BBQ pulled pork, sharp Cheddar cheese, crisp corn, and other fresh veggies. Drizzle a BBQ-spiked creamy dressing on and this salad is ready to devour.
BBQ Pasta Salad
Who else eats pasta salads like crazy during the summer? They are always one of our go-to choices during the summer, since the whole family loves them, the oven doesn’t need to be turned on, and they come together so quickly.
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Taco Pasta Salad, and Asian Pasta Salad have been on frequent rotation this summer. They’re all quite different from each other and total crowd pleasers; my boys practically lick their plates clean — that is, as long as I leave out any olives, ha!
This pulled pork BBQ Pasta Salad is another unique pasta salad, and equally as crowd-pleasing and quick to assemble. When you read pulled pork and quick in the same sentence you may be questioning that, because we all know pulled pork takes a good part of the day on a smoker (or in the slow cooker) to be ready.
So for this salad, we use a convenient store shortcut — pre-cooked, seasoned, and sauced pulled pork. It works so well in this salad.
Let’s talk pulled pork
Store-bought pulled pork has made its appearance a couple of times on this site since it is so convenient when you’re in a hurry to get dinner on the table. BBQ Pasta Salad uses about half of a standard pulled pork container, so you can use the rest of it in one of our other favorite pork recipes — like this BBQ Pork Pizza. You could even throw the entire container in the salad if you’d like a more meat-centric dish.
I recommend using your favorite store-bought pulled pork — one you’ve tried and know you love. If you don’t know where to start, my personal favorite (readily available) pulled pork is Jack Daniel’s Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce®.
Another great alternative is using leftover pulled pork. If you’ve made your own pork, it will work perfectly in this salad. Simply toss it in some BBQ sauce (to taste) before adding it to the pasta. The pulled pork in these Pork Taquitos is a personal favorite pork recipe.
BBQ Pasta Salad dressing ingredients
- Mayo. A good mayo can make all the difference in the dressing and the salad as a whole. We love Hellman’s/Best Foods® in this dressing.
- BBQ sauce. Any BBQ sauce you enjoy is one you’ll likely enjoy in this dressing. My personal favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ® (original) sauce or Stubb’s Original BBQ® sauce.
- Apple cider vinegar. This helps balance the sweetness from the mayo and BBQ sauce.
- Hot sauce. Here’s another ingredient to help balance the sweetness. I don’t find the sauce makes it spicy, but rather works to balance flavors. Add slowly or leave it out if you are concerned about heat.
- Seasonings. Chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and a little salt and pepper add depth of flavor and a tiny kick to the dressing. Again, add spices slowly if you are worried about the heat.
More ways to use BBQ Sauce:
- BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe ready in 15 minutes!
- BBQ Chicken Tacos with a cilantro-lime crema
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Rice Bowl with a quick creamy sauce
- BBQ Chicken Salad with a creamy cilantro-ranch dressing
- 3 Dinner Recipes with 1 Rotisserie Chicken: BBQ themed
BBQ Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Medium pot
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bowtie pasta 1/2 of 1 box; about 2-1/2 cups
- 2 small ears fresh corn or 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 small red bell pepper diced, 3/4 cup
- 2 stalks celery 1/2 cup
- 1/2 heaping cup sharp Cheddar cheese cut into small cubes
- 2 thinly sliced green onions 1/4 cup
- 1 cup seasoned and fully cooked BBQ pork cooked according to package instructions, see note 1
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. (Don't cook all the pasta, only 3 cups!) Generously salt the water to season. (I add 1 teaspoon to every 4 cups water.) If using frozen corn, add it to boiling pasta water 1 minute before pasta will be done. Drain pasta, rinse under cold water, let cool, and allow to dry thoroughly before adding to other ingredients. Add cooked and cooled pasta to a large bowl.
- While pasta is cooking, prep veggies/salad additions. Cook pork according to package directions and allow to cool to room temperature. Use two forks to shred pork a bit more if needed. If using fresh corn, grill (see note 2) or simply cut it off the cob and add to the salad raw. Dice the pepper, thinly slice celery, cube Cheddar pieces, and thinly slice green onions. In a large bowl, add pulled pork, corn, pepper, celery, Cheddar, and green onions.
- In another small bowl, whisk together mayo, BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. (Add to taste—I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.) Whisk until combined and smooth.
- Pour dressing over salad (adding to preference—you may not want it all). Gently toss ingredients until combined. Taste again and season with additional salt/pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this last night. I used smoked chicken instead of pork. My friend that smoked the chicken, has his own brand of bbq sauce so I used that in the dressing. It was soooo good. Will make this again!
Heyy you are an aammaazziinggg chef, do you have a cookbook?? Cos if you don’t you should definitely make one!!
You are so kind! Thank you 🙂 I don’t have one currently, but hopefully someday in the future!
Chelsea, your recipes always impress but this one really has my mouth watering!! It looks incredible!
This pasta salad looks so good! Going to have to make it for dinner very soon.
I feel like I eat pasta salads ALL THE TIME in the summer, they’re just so good! I’m loving this barbecue version, Chelsea! So creative! I don’t think I’ve ever made one quite like this before. I love the addition of pulled pork. Sounds delicious!