Well isn’t this Mexican street corn pasta salad just the fusion recipe we never knew we needed!
If you’re obsessed with everything street corn, from elote itself to elote dip, you’re going to love this creamy pasta salad. It’s got all the flavors of elote that we love, plus tender pasta.
It doesn’t get much better!
Ingredients
- Sweet corn. Fresh, frozen or canned all work. More on that later.
- Short cut pasta. Any pasta shape will work as long as it’s bite-sized, like rotini.
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream. Greek yogurt can also be substituted.
- Jalapeños. If you prefer a milder flavor, try diced bell peppers.
- Avocado
- Scallions. For more of a bite, swap in some diced red onion.
- Cilantro
- Cotija cheese. Queso fresco or feta cheese can also be substituted.
- Chili powder
- Lime juice
How to Make Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Cook the Pasta
Boil and drain the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Set it aside for now.
Prepare the Corn
If you’re using corn on the cob, grill it over an open flame or boil it in a large pot of salted water. Once your ears of corn are cooked, go ahead and shave the kernels off the cobs.
You could also use frozen corn, but be sure to defrost it. Canned corn is an easy option as well.
Prepare the Veggies
Grab a sharp knife and chop the scallions, dice the jalapeño pepper, cut the avocado into bite-sized pieces and chop the cilantro.
Make the Creamy Dressing
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, salt and chili powder.
Combine the Ingredients
Now, add your cooked pasta and chopped veggies to the bowl of dressing ingredients.
Gently fold it all together, and finish by sprinkling crumbled cotija cheese over top.
Watch how to make Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad!
Serving Suggestions
There are many different ways to enjoy this delicious pasta salad! Here are a few ideas:
1. As a side dish: This is the perfect side dish to bring to summer bbqs, because you won’t have to worry about leftovers! Trust me, it’s that good.
2. As a main dish: Top a bowl of this pasta salad with grilled chicken, steak or fish for a satisfying main course.
3. As part of a Mexican spread: Serve elote pasta salad with other Mexican favorites like guacamole and tacos!
What is Mexican street corn?
Mexican street corn, or elote, is literally translated as “corn cob” in Spanish.
But elote is now more commonly known as very dressed up corn cobs, usually grilled over an open flame by street vendors and then smothered in a spicy mayo and coated with cheese and fresh cilantro.
Mexican street corn can be coated with cotija cheese or queso fresco and a generous squeeze of lime juice.
The flavors of street corn have become such a cult favorite that you can now buy elote seasoning to sprinkle on corn, chicken, fries and more.
Storage Instructions
The best way to store leftover pasta salad is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This is also a great recipe to prep in advance for the next day.
Before serving, give the airtight container a good shake to reconstitute the ingredients.
Do you have to use fresh corn in this recipe?
Using fresh corn will yield the best pasta salad, but there are other great options:
1. Canned corn. This would be my recommendation if you’re not using fresh corn. You could even get fancy and use canned fire-roasted corn.
2. Frozen corn. Grab a bag of frozen corn at the grocery store and let it defrost on the counter before using it in this recipe. Super easy!
3. Leftover corn. Got leftover grilled corn from last night’s barbecue? This recipe is a great way to use it up!
When you make this Mexican street corn pasta salad, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below.
For more pasta salad recipes, try these:
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. short cut pasta, like rotini
- 5 cups cooked corn kernels
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup diced scallions (green onions)
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Rinse the pasta with cold water.
- Make the dressing: Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, lime juice and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Remove the seeds from the jalapeño pepper and finely dice it. Dice the scallions and chop the cilantro. Peel the avocado and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the cooked pasta, corn, jalapeños, scallions, cilantro and avocado to the bowl of dressing. Gently fold together until combined. Sprinkle with crumbled cotija cheese.
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