This flavorful, Spicy BBQ Macaroni Salad is a must-try at only 2 WW points per serving. When you make this yummy macaroni salad, you’ll enjoy warm, smokey flavors accompanied by tangy red onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, and pinto beans.
If you’re anything like me, you love BBQ sauce with all sorts of foods. And it definitely works with pasta if done right. Take BBQ spaghetti, for example—it’s delicious. So, if BBQ sauce can elevate a warm pasta dish, I figured it would taste equally amazing in a cold pasta dish, too.
The dressing for this salad is just so incredible. I started with a base of nonfat Greek yogurt to keep it nice and low-point, but then I added smaller amounts of BBQ sauce, hot sauce, and light mayo for a rich and creamy balance. Between the seasonings and the peppers and beans, this macaroni salad is truly one of a kind.
You can pair it with your favorite main course, whether it is BBQ-inspired food or not. For example, BBQ chicken tastes phenomenal with it, but so does a classic veggie burger or even a grilled cheese sandwich. Dress it up by topping it with fresh herbs when serving, or sprinkle on some shredded cheese like I did. And don’t forget to grab some for yourself before it’s all gone!
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It’s unique. It’s not every day that you put some BBQ sauce and hot sauce into your pasta salad. This recipe is unique but so incredibly tasty that you’ll wonder why you’ve never made anything like it before.
- Low-point side dish. It can be tricky to find delicious side dishes that don’t take up too many points. This recipe is the best of both worlds, though.
- It’s a crowd-pleaser. Take it to a potluck or other gathering, and you’ll walk away knowing that you brought the best dish! I can guarantee it will be the first thing gone.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Size: about ½ cup (85g)
- Number of Servings: 12
- Time to Cook: 10 minutes
- WW Points Per Recipe: 2 WW points per serving, 24 points for the entire recipe (Click here to view the recipe in the WW app. WW login is required)
Ingredients in Spicy BBQ Macaroni Salad
- 8 oz Dry whole-grain elbow pasta
- ⅔ cup Bell pepper, diced (any color)
- 1 medium Jalapeno, small diced
- ⅔ cup Red onion, diced
- ¾ cup Cooked pinto beans (drained and rinsed if using canned)
Spicy BBQ Dressing
- ⅔ cup Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup Your favorite low-point BBQ sauce (I used Baby Ray’s no sugar added)
- 1 tsp, plus more to taste Your favorite hot sauce, I used Cholula Chili Garlic
- To taste Garlic powder
- ½ tsp, plus more to taste Salt
- ¼ tsp, plus more to taste Black pepper
- ⅓ cup Light mayo
- To taste Smoked paprika
- Optional: 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions for making WW Spicy BBQ Macaroni Salad
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain it and rinse it with cold water to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Allow it to cool.
- While the pasta cooks, chop the necessary ingredients and whisk all the dressing together until smooth.
3. Taste the dressing and adjust it as needed by adding more hot sauce or seasonings.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped ingredients, and dressing. Fold to combine.
5. Enjoy immediately, or cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight to allow the flavors to marry.
Variations and Substitutions
- Pasta Type: Feel free to use different types of pasta, such as farfalle, penne, or rotini. You can also use chickpea pasta or gluten-free pasta. Just keep in mind that it will likely change the WW points.
- BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad: You can substitute ranch dressing for a portion of the Greek yogurt or simply add ranch seasoning to give it that classic ranch flavor that pairs so well with BBQ sauce!
- Add Meat: How does a BBQ chicken pasta salad sound? To make it heartier, you can add cubed or shredded chicken. You can also add pulled pork or smoked sausage pieces.
- Add More Veggies: This creamy BBQ macaroni salad would also taste incredible with corn, green onions, celery, shredded cabbage or carrots, or shallots.
- Save a Point: You can lighten this macaroni salad up even more by omitting the mayo and using Greek yogurt instead. You can also use less BBQ sauce.
- Splurge Version: If you don’t mind the points, you can use regular pasta instead of whole wheat or mostly mayo instead of mostly Greek yogurt. You can also add other ingredients. Aside from the sauce and noodles, I pretty much stuck with zero-point ingredients.
Tips and Tricks for Making Spicy BBQ Macaroni Salad
- Make it as spicy or mild as you wish. You don’t even have to include the hot sauce if you don’t want to! Or you can add significantly more than I did. Feel free to adjust it to your and your family’s preferences.
- Don’t forget to rinse the pasta! Rinsing the pasta helps prevent it from sticking together and it also helps cool it faster. By doing so, you also rinse away extra starch (don’t worry, though, the dressing is nice and thick and has no trouble adhering to the pasta!)
- How to make ahead and store: If you want to get ahead, you can make the dressing and store it for a couple of days in advance. The night before, you can also cook the pasta or chop the veggies and store them separately so that assembling the pasta salad will be easy. To store leftovers, make sure to tightly wrap the container/bowl or put a lid over it and keep it in the fridge for about 4 days maximum.
Related Recipes
Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken BBQ
Weight Watchers Spicy BBQ Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz Dry whole-grain elbow pasta
- ⅔ cup Bell pepper, diced (any color)
- 1 medium Jalapeno, small diced
- ⅔ cup Red onion, diced
- ¾ cup Cooked pinto beans, drained and rinsed if using canned
Spicy BBQ Dressing
- ⅔ cup Nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup Your favorite low-point BBQ sauce, I used Sweet Baby Ray’s no sugar added
- 1 tsp Your favorite hot sauce (I used Cholula Chili Garlic, plus more to taste
- To taste Garlic powder
- ½ tsp Table salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp Black pepper, plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup Light mayo
- to taste Smoked paprika
- Optional: 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain it and rinse it with cold water to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Allow it to cool.
- While the pasta cooks, chop the necessary ingredients and whisk all the dressing together until smooth.
- Taste the dressing and adjust it as needed by adding more hot sauce or seasonings.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked and cooled pasta, chopped ingredients, and dressing. Fold to combine.
- Enjoy immediately, or cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight to allow the flavors to marry.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
