Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad features roasted corn combined with tender pasta, lots of fresh herbs and cotija cheese tossed in a creamy, tangy dressing. It takes roughly 20 minutes to make and just a handful of ingredients. This is the perfect side dish for any summer cookout.
If you’ve ever had Mexican Street Corn, or even if you haven’t, this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is one to try. I love the natural sweetness from the corn combined with the tangy, fresh lime juice and zest and the creamy texture from the dressing. This is one of my favorite pasta salads to bring to summer cookouts. It never lasts long!
One of the keys to this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is the corn. And there’s not much that beats the fresh, ripe, sweet summer corn. I live in Pennsylvania, and the corn here is always plentiful. My husband is from the south and he always comments about how much taller the corn is here than where he is from. Actually, we are growing corn this year in our garden! I’m excited to see how it turns out.
The flavors in this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad truly are delicious and I love how quick and easy this pasta salad is to make. It only takes around 20 minutes to come together and half of that time is waiting for the pasta and corn to cook. So, the prep work for this is minimal. It truly is the perfect summer dish to make. Honestly, you could even enjoy this as a lunch!
Here is what you will love about this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Quick and easy to make. This pasta salad comes together in roughly 20 minutes. The pasta and the corn take approximately 10 minutes to cook. Then it takes about 10 minutes to toss the ingredients together. Really, it’s that simple!
- Flavorful – I love all the flavors in this pasta salad – the sweetness from the corn, combined with the tang from the fresh lime juice and the creamy texture from the dressing.
- Great for cookouts – who doesn’t love a good pasta salad at a summer cookout? This Mexican Street Corn pasta salad is no exception. It’s a crowd pleaser!
Here’s how to make this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Make the pasta
You can use any short cut pasta you prefer for this pasta salad. I used Fusilli. Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain the pasta once it’s cooked.
Grill the corn
Heat your grill to 375F. Lightly brush the corn with oil, then cook the corn directly on the grates for 12 minutes, turning the corn every couple minutes to get each side evenly cooked.
Remove the corn from the grill once it is done cooking and allow to cool enough to handle before chopping the corn off the cob.
Make the dressing
The dressing comes together in just a couple minutes. In a medium size bowl, add all ingredients for the dressing, then stir to combine.
Make the pasta salad
Now it’s time to combine all the ingredients together to make the pasta salad!
In a large bowl, add the pasta, corn, red bell pepper, red onion, half the cotija cheese (or feta cheese) and fresh cilantro. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad, then toss to combine.
Top the pasta salad with the remaining cotija cheese (or feta cheese), and diced avocado. You can also add lime slices for a garnish when serving.
Storage
Cover and store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Here are a few of my favorite summer sides
Let me know what you thought!
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Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 8 as a side 1x
Description
This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad features roasted corn combined with tender pasta, lots of fresh herbs and cotija cheese tossed in a creamy, tangy dressing. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and just a handful of ingredients. This is the perfect side dish for any summer cookout.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces short cut pasta (I used Fusilli)
- 3 ears of corn, grilled
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cup cotija cheese (or feta cheese)
Instructions
1. Husk corn. Brush the corn with oil. Place corn on 375F grill and cook for 12 minutes, turning every couple minutes to evenly roast all sides. Remove from the grill once cooked and allow to cool.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain once done cooking and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the pasta. Toss to combine. This helps prevent the pasta from sticking together.
3. Once the corn is cool, cut the corn off the cob.
4. Make the dressing. In a medium size bowl, add the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest and juice. Add in the garlic powder and chipotle chili powder. Stir to combine.
5. Make the pasta salad. In a large bowl, add the pasta, corn, chopped red bell pepper, chopped onion, fresh cilantro and half the cotija cheese. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Add the avocado on top as well as the remaining cotija cheese.
6. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage – store leftovers covered in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grill (for the corn), Stove Top (for the pasta)
- Cuisine: Mexican
