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Elote Pasta Salad! Everything you love about Mexican street corn but turned into a super delicious pasta salad. Smoky charred corn, salty cotija cheese, a little jalapeno kick, fresh cilantro, red onions and a creamy, tangy chili lime dressing to bring it all together. It’s so good!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Elote Pasta Salad
- All the flavors of street corn in pasta salad form: Yes please – YUM!
- Not your average pasta salad: This one’s anything but boring. It’s bright, it’s creamy, it’s got a little kick, it’s totally packed with flavor… it’s everything you want in a side dish!
- Super versatile side dish: Perfect for basically everything. Taco night? Yup. Backyard BBQ? Absolutely. Cinco de Mayo? 100%. It goes with grilled things, Tex-Mex things and pretty much any summer gathering.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Mexican street corn pasta salad:
Detailed ingredient list and directions located in the recipe card below.
- Pasta: Pick your favorite short-cut pasta – fusilli, macaroni, farfalle, anything you love! I used orecchiette for the photos.
- Roasted or Grilled Corn: The goal here is corn kernels with that smokey, slightly charred flavor. There are a few ways to get it – see options below.
- Cotija Cheese: This salty, crumbly Mexican cheese is a must! It’s a classic topping on street corn and totally brings that flavor to this pasta salad. If you can’t find cotija, crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese can be used instead.
- Red Onion: Adds nice texture and flavor to the salad. Sweet onion, white onion or green onions could also be used instead.
- Jalapeno: Fresh jalapeno adds a nice little kick. Want more heat? Chop up the whole pepper seeds and all. Prefer it more mild? Remove the seeds and white membrane first.
- Cilantro: Bright, fresh and the perfect pop of green. If cilantro’s not your thing (hi, my husband), flat-leaf Italian parsley works too!
- Dressing: The creamy chili lime dressing is the magic that ties it all together. It’s made with sour cream, mayo, limes (zest and juice), garlic, chili powder, chili lime seasoning like Tajín and sea salt.
Corn Options
3 Ways To Get That Charred Corn
Here are some options to get that delicious smoky, charred corn flavor:
- Frozen Roasted Corn: This is the easiest route – simply thaw it!
- Grill It: Grill some fresh corn until nicely charred in spots, then let them cool and slice off the kernels.
- Skillet Method: Add a little avocado oil to a hot cast iron skillet, toss in fresh or frozen corn kernels and sauté on high heat until charred in spots. Work in batches if needed so the corn doesn’t steam.
Extra Add-Ins
This elote pasta salad is a simple and super delicious side but if you’re in the mood to make it a little heartier, here are a few add-in ideas you could toss in:
- Diced avocado
- Black beans
- Chopped up red bell pepper
- Halved grape or cherry tomatoes
- Diced chicken (grilled or pan seared with this fajita seasoning = so good)
How To Make Street Corn Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is so easy to make – here’s how to make it step-by-step!
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 1 pound (454 grams) of your favorite short-cut pasta according to package instructions. Once it’s done, drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water right away to cool it down. Make sure it’s well drained, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the salad ingredients: Now it’s time to load up the bowl with all the good stuff. Add 4-5 cups of roasted or grilled corn kernels, 1 cup of crumbled cotija cheese (save a little for topping later), ½ cup diced red onion, 1 finely diced jalapeno and ¼ cup chopped cilantro (or flat-leaf parsley).
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup mayo, the zest and juice of 2 limes, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon Tajín (or another chili lime seasoning) and 2 teaspoons sea salt.
- Combine, chill and serve: Pour about ¾ of the dressing over the pasta salad and toss together until everything’s coated. Cover and pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour so all those flavors can really come together. When it’s time to serve, drizzle the rest of the dressing over the top and garnish with the reserved crumbled cotija cheese, an extra sprinkle of Tajín and some fresh cilantro if you like.
TIPS
A Few Handy Tips
- Cook your pasta just a bit extra: Go about 1-2 minutes past al dente. It helps keep the pasta nice and tender even once cold.
- Use the good stuff for the dressing: Full-fat sour cream and real mayonnaise make the dressing super creamy and flavorful.
- A quick chili powder heads-up: Just a little PSA to my international friends – the chili powder in this recipe is the American kind (a mild blend of spices, not straight-up ground chilies). The dressing will light your mouth on fire if you use the wrong kind.
FAQ
Store leftover elote pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just a heads-up: the pasta will soak up some of the dressing as it sits, so if it feels a little dry later on, just stir in some extra dressing or a spoonful of mayo and some spices to bring it back to life.
Absolutely! I find that it tastes even better after chilling in the fridge for a few hours – the flavors really come together. Just be sure to save a bit of the dressing to drizzle over or mix through right before serving and wait to add the garnishes until the end.
I know, I know – rinsing cooked pasta is usually a no-no. But for pasta salad, it’s totally the right move! The cold water stops the cooking process and washes off that extra starch so that your pasta doesn’t turn into one big sticky clump.
More Pasta Salads
Did you make this street corn pasta salad recipe? If so, I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment below.
Elote Pasta Salad (Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad)
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American, Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Elote Pasta Salad! Everything you love about Mexican street corn but turned into a super delicious pasta salad. Smoky charred corn, salty cotija cheese, a little jalapeno kick, fresh cilantro, red onions and a creamy, tangy chili lime dressing to bring it all together. It’s so good!
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 1 pound (454 grams) uncooked short-cut pasta, any shape you like
- 4–5 cups roasted or grilled corn kernels (see notes)
- 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese (reserve some for garnish)
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (or flat-leaf parsley)
For the creamy chili lime dressing:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 limes (zest and juice)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Tajín (or other chili lime seasoning)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and immediately rinse the cooked pasta under cold water until completely cool. Make sure it’s well drained, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the rest: Add the remaining pasta salad ingredients to the bowl with the cooked and cooled pasta.
- Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients until it’s smooth and creamy.
- Combine and chill: Pour about ¾ of the dressing over the pasta salad and toss together until everything’s coated. Cover and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour so all those flavors can really come together.
- Garnish and serve: When it’s time to serve, drizzle the rest of the dressing over the top and sprinkle over the reserved crumbled cotija cheese, some extra Tajín and fresh cilantro if you’re into it. Enjoy!
Notes
- Roasted or Grilled Corn: The goal here is corn kernels with that smokey, slightly charred flavor. Here are a few ways to make it happen. The simplest route is using frozen roasted corn – just thaw it and you’re good to go. If you’re up for grilling, throw some fresh corn on the grill until it’s nicely charred in spots, then let it cool and slice off the kernels. Or try the skillet method: heat a little avocado oil in a hot cast iron pan, then toss in fresh or frozen corn kernels and sauté over high heat until charred in spots. Just be sure to work in batches if needed so the corn roasts instead of steaming. Any of these methods will add great flavor to your salad!
- Cook your pasta just a bit extra: Go about 1-2 minutes past al dente. It helps keep the pasta nice and tender even once cold.
- Chili powder PSA (for my international friends): The chili powder in this recipe is the American kind (a mild blend of spices, not straight-up ground chilies). The dressing will light your mouth on fire if you use the wrong kind.
