Ensalada de Coditos is an easy and creamy Mexican side dish that is great for parties or potlucks. It comes together literally in minutes and perfect in every way.

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Ensalada de Coditos served in a clay bowl and topped with slices of green onion.

Ensalada de Coditos is the perfect side dish along with Frijoles de la Olla, Arroz Blanco, Papas con Rajas.

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You will see a big bowl of this traditional dish at every Mexican party – birthdays, Sunday afternoon carne asada, Quinceañera, family picnics.

My sneaking suspicion is that we took it from the Americans – a little cross border culinary borrowing.

The true origins of this dish may remain a mystery to me, but the taste is so incredibly creamy and delicious that it’s awfully hard to resist.

Table of Contents

1 Ingredients
2 Variations
- 2.1 Hungry for More?
3 Ensalada de Coditos

Ingredients

These are all of the ingredients that you need.

It’s a super simple yet satisfying Mexican side dish, a no-brainer recipe. You probably already have most, if not all, of the ingredients to make this cold pasta salad.

Note: This recipe is ensalada de coditos mexicana (or Mexican style). There are other Latin American countries that have their own version of this dish.

Only these four ingredients are needed to make the sauce: mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, and just a hint of mustard.

That’s regular mustard, but you can also use dijon mustard. For a little tanginess, add a splash of apple cider vinegar or green olives.

Some people add some the brine of Pickled Jalapeños.

Here are some other ingredients you can add:

Slices of raw jalapeño
Cebolla en Escabeche
Diced Red Bell Peppers
Diced Yellow Peppers
Diced Green Peppers
Diced Celery
Diced Red Onion
Diced Roasted Poblano Peppers
Slices of Serrano Pepper
Dill pickles

Remember to be extra careful with mayo. Keep this dish refrigerated particularly in the warm summer weather.

If you are serving it at a party, it’s important to keep the elbow pasta salad cold.

Cook in salted water until al dente.
Set aside.

Ensalada de Coditos literally translated means “Elbow Macaroni Salad.” It’s the same pasta used in Sopa de Codito.

Drain and rinse in cold water. Then, add a little olive oil so it won’t stick together.

Talk about a great way to use leftover ham from Easter or Christmas dinner! In a pinch, you can use deli ham to make this macaroni salad recipe.

Or, look for the thick cut of ham in the meat section. Often referred to as a “ham steak.” Then, cut into small cubes.

Variations

With Chicken:

Swap out the ham for cooked, diced chicken.
Continue with the recipe as normal.

Using Tuna:

Drain the tuna can and swap it out for the ham.
Add the juice of half a lemon to the dressing.
Continue with the recipe as normal.

With Crab:

Here’s another creative twist to this recipe: swap out the ham for crab meat.
Add the lemon juice to the dressing and continue with the recipe.

Add all the ingredients to a large container or a large bowl.
Mix, cover with plastic wrap, and keep cold until ready to serve.

What a great recipe and potluck dish! The flavors need to marry to fully develop for an even better tasting and delicious salad.

I suggest putting it in the fridge for an hour before serving, but it can be eaten right away.

Take this easy pasta salad to your next potluck, everyone is sure to love it. Buen provecho!

Hungry for More?

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Ensalada de Coditos

Ensalada de Coditos is an easy and creamy Mexican side dish that is great for parties or potlucks. It comes together literally in minutes and perfect in every way.

5 from 25 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: people

Calories: 253kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

Instructions

Cook the elbow macaroni according to package instructions.
Drain, rinse, and set aside until it is room temperature.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and salt.
Set aside. (If you are assembling the salad later, be sure to refrigerate the dressing).
In a large container, add the cooked elbow macaroni, peas and carrots, corn, ham, and dressing.
Mix thoroughly.
Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
Serve with saltine crackers.