Mexican Street Corn Pasta
This Mexican Street Corn Pasta salad is a fun and tasty twist on elote, Mexican corn on the cob. Loaded with plenty of corn, cotija cheese, and a creamy dressing, there’s just the right amount of heat in this easy salad. Perfect for BBQs, cookouts, potlucks, and more, it’s deliciously different and the perfect side dish to so many meals!
I love pasta salads that are loaded with big, bold flavors, and this Mexican Street Corn Pasta certainly fits that description. I make this easy salad with a few hacks, notably using canned fiesta-style corn, which makes this salad so easy to pull together.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta
You can even cook the pasta ahead of time and chill it down, so all you need to do is mix and serve. Let’s talk about the dressing – it is creamy, tangy, with plenty of lime, and has all the flavors you know and love from Mexican street corn.
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Brimming with flavor but pretty simple to prepare, if you can boil pasta, then you can make this delicious Mexican Street Corn Pasta salad!
Why I love this recipe
- It’s super simple to make, and compared to some pasta salads, there’s not even much chopping in this one.
- You can prep this salad ahead of time and keep it in the fridge – the flavors just get better with time.
- This salad is enough for about 10-12 people but is easy to divide in half for a smaller group or to double to feed a crowd.
Gather these ingredients
- Rotini pasta – Cooked, drained and cooled.
- Fiesta-style corn – 4 cans, drained.
- Red bell pepper – Seeded and diced.
- Red onion – Diced.
- Jalapenos – 1-2, depending on how spicy you like it, seeded and diced.
- Cilantro – Chopped and divided.
- Cotija cheese – Crumbled and divided.
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Lime juice – Juice from 1 fresh lime.
How to make Mexican Street Corn Pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain it and run it under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain it well.
- Combine the cooled pasta, drained corn, bell pepper, red onion, diced jalapeno, ½ cup of chopped cilantro, and 1 cup of cotija cheese in a large bowl.
- Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, garlic powder, and lime juice in another small bowl until well-mixed.
- Toss the pasta with the dressing until well combined.
- Top with the remaining cilantro and cotija cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips & substitutions
- You can use any kind of mayonnaise in the dressing, but don’t use Miracle Whip as it’s too sweet.
- Can’t find cotija cheese? Feta is a good substitute.
- Adjust the jalapeno to suit your spice level. Add more jalapeno to make it spicier and less to tame the heat.
- You can add the juice from 2 limes if you like it extra tangy.
Serving suggestions
This Mexican Street Corn is a great salad to pair with any Tex-Mex themed dinner or spread. I love serving it along with this Burrito Bowl Board, Sweet Chili Shrimp Tacos, or this Walking Taco Casserole. It’s also a great salad to serve with anything grilled – it’s so versatile!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Check out these awesome pasta salad recipes while you’re here
Get the Recipe:
Mexican Street Corn Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb rotini pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
- 4 15 oz cans fiesta-style corn, drained
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 2 jalapeno pepeprs, diced, seeds removed
- ¾ cup cilantro, finely chopped, divided
- 1 ¼ cup cotija cheese, crumbled, divided
Dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 lime, juiced (use 2 if you like more citrus)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, cool, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the cooled pasta, drained corn, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, ½ cup of cilantro, and 1 cup of the cotija crumbled cheese.
- Gently mix together.
- In a small bowl, add the dressing ingredients together and stir well. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Add the dressing to the pasta mixture and gently mix together.
- Top with remaining Cotija cheese and chopped cilantro.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
