Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Serve up the ultimate summer side dish by whipping up this mouthwatering Street Corn Pasta Salad! Fresh, vibrant flavor meets sweet corn and tender pasta, smothered in a smoky, tangy, bold dressing with a kick of heat! Made in just 30 minutes!
The Mexican-Inspired Pasta Salad You Can’t Stop Eating!
If your mouth waters for Mexican-flavored dishes and elote seasoning, then welcome to your new favorite pasta salad recipe! The perfect pairing to anything that comes off the grill, for taco night, and even as a weeknight meal!
Summertime eating brings all of the pasta salads to the front of the line, especially my tangy, sweet Hawaiian Macaroni Salad and Classic Macaroni Salad. But for a burst of bold, fresh flavor that highlights sweet corn, robust onion, and a zesty dressing with a kick of heat, reach for this Street Corn Pasta Salad!
It’s an instant crowd favorite that will have people asking for the recipe and piling on second helpings! Mix it up in just 30 minutes and then pop it in the fridge to enjoy with the afternoon BBQ or make it the night before to contribute to the next potluck!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: A hint of heat with sweet corn and robust onion and garlic flavor with a burst of zesty lime.
Texture: Soft pasta with a creamy sauce and a bit of crunch from the corn and onions.
Ease: 3/10
Pros: Pretty simple to make – not as much prep and chopping as some other pasta salad recipes.
Cons: Have to chill for 2 hours for the flavor to develop.
Would I Make This Again? Yes, definitely a new favorite for BBQs and a great alternative to the classic Italian-inspired recipes.
Corn Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta – I prefer using radiatore pasta in this recipe so all that yummy sauce and sweet corn get trapped in the pasta’s grooves. Feel free to use rotini or your favorite pasta instead.
- Filling – Studded throughout the pasta salad is seasoned sweet corn that’s charred up in a skillet with olive oil, elote seasoning, red onion, and frozen corn.
- Sauce – The creamy, perfectly spiced dressing really makes this pasta salad shine! The creamy base is made with plain skyr yogurt and mayonnaise. The flavor then builds with ingredients such as diced scallions, lime juice, garlic paste, ground cumin, elote seasoning, sea salt, and ground black pepper.
How To Make Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Cook the radiatore pasta in salted water until al dente. Then, drain the pasta and set it aside to cool.
- Prepare the pasta salad sauce together by whisking together plain skyr, mayonnaise, diced scallions, lime juice, garlic paste, Tajin, elote seasoning, and ground cumin. Then add fine sea salt and ground pepper to taste and set the sauce aside.
- Cook the filling by heating olive oil in a large skillet, then adding frozen corn, red onion, and elote seasoning. Cook this mixture, stirring frequently, until the corn is slightly charred.
- Combine the cooled pasta with the homemade dressing, and then add in the corn mixture. Toss the pasta salad together until everything is evenly coated. Afterward, transfer the Street Corn Pasta Salad to the refrigerator to chill.
- To serve, stir in cotija cheese and garnish with more cheese, chopped cilantro, and sliced jalapeno.
Rebecca’s Elote Pasta Salad Tips
- If you can’t get your hands on cotija cheese, you can swap it out for feta cheese or parmesan.
- Make sure to add cotija cheese and garnishes right before serving so that the pasta salad has a chance to cool first.
- I find that this pasta salad tastes even better the next day, after all the flavors have had a chance to meld. If possible, make this salad at least the night before to enjoy the best flavor, but if not, it’ll still be a mouthwatering hit with the crowd!
- Store any leftover Street Corn Pasta Salad in an airtight container in the fridge to enjoy for up to 3 days.
- To add a kick of heat, you can add minced jalapeño or minced chipotle peppers in adobo.
- Give this Mexican Street Corn Pasta salad a boost of protein by mixing in black beans, 1/2 pound of crumbled bacon, or grilled or shredded chicken.
More Corn Recipes
- Crockpot Cheesy Corn – A crowd-pleasing side dish that doesn’t heat up the kitchen or hog stove space!
- Mac and Cheese Corn Casserole – The ultimate comfort food, loaded with melty cheese and sweet corn!
- Corn Ribs – Fresh, sweet corn cut into strips, seasoned, and charred to perfection!
- Cowboy Caviar – A mouthwatering Mexican-inspired dip that’s perfect for parties and taco night!
- Cheesy Corn Casserole – Made with just six ingredients and ready for the oven in only 5 minutes!
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Mexican Pasta Salad (Street Corn Flavor)
Ingredients
- 1 pound radiatore pasta 454g
- 1½ cups plain skyr 340g
- 1 cup mayonnaise 224g
- ¼ cup diced scallions
- 2 tablespoons lime juice 24g
- 1½ tablespoons garlic paste 35g
- 1 tablespoon Tajin
- 1 tablespoon elote seasoning I use Trader Joe's Everything but the Elote
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- fine sea salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 16 ounces frozen corn 450g
- ½ red onion 120g, very finely diced
- 1 tablespoon elote seasoning
- ½ cup cotija cheese plus more to taste
- cilantro for garnish
- jalapeno sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook 1 pound radiatore pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
- While the pasta cooks, whisk together 1½ cups plain skyr, 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup diced scallions, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1½ tablespoons garlic paste, 1 tablespoon Tajin, 1 tablespoon elote seasoning, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin in a large bowl. Add fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste; you'll likely add more once the mixture sits. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, then add in 16 ounces frozen corn, ½ red onion, and 1 tablespoon elote seasoning, and cook, stirring frequently, until the corn is slightly charred.
- Add the cooled pasta to the bowl with the dressing, then add in the corn mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Stir in ½ cup cotija cheese and garnish with more cheese, chopped cilantro, and sliced jalapeno (if desired) right before serving.
Notes
- For added flavor and heat, add 1 minced jalapeño pepper or mince 2 chipotle peppers in adobo and add to the mix.
- Add 1/2 pound of crumbled bacon for added protein.
Nutrition
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