Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
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Amp up the flavor of your next BBQ or Mexican meal with this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad recipe! It’s bursting with all of the delicious flavors of elote, like grilled corn, cilantro and cotija cheese, tossed in a creamy chili lime dressing with macaroni noodles, creating a vibrant pasta salad. It’s easy to make in 25 minutes and guaranteed to be a family favorite!
Table of contents
Elote, also known as Mexican street corn, is a Mexican preparation of corn on the cob. It’s made by slathering grilled corn on the cob in mayo or Mexican crema, then topping it with lime juice, chili powder, cotija cheese, and cilantro.
For this simple pasta salad recipe, I combined all of these ingredients with cooked pasta to create a salad that’s bursting with flavor! Seriously, get your tastebuds ready to go on a delicious adventure with this Mexican street corn pasta salad!
It’s the perfect salad to take to a potluck or picnic, serve at a backyard bbq, or as a side dish with your favorite Mexican meal, like fajitas or enchiladas. This pasta salad recipe tastes so delicious that you’ll want any excuse to make it over and over again!
Ingredients
- Corn – if corn on the cob is in season, I recommend grilling it for the most authentic flavor. If you can’t find corn on the cob, don’t worry, you can still make this recipe with canned or frozen corn. You’ll need 3 cups of corn kernels, which will be about 3 good-size ears of corn on the cob.
- Macaroni noodles – you can also use another small pasta shape, like rotini, farfalle (bowtie pasta), penne or small shells.
- Red onion – the bite of a red onion adds a crisp and delicious texture to the salad. You could also use a sweet yellow onion, if you prefer a more mellow, sweet flavor.
- Cotija cheese – this crumbly, salty Mexican cheese is delicious in this salad. However, if you can’t find it in your grocery store, you can use queso fresco or feta cheese instead. Both will give you the same crumbly texture, but with a more mellow flavor.
- Fresh cilantro – tossed in the salad and used as a garnish, cilantro adds a fresh flavor to the salad. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can omit it, or use fresh flat-leaf parsley in it’s place.
- Sour cream – half of the base of the creamy chili lime dressing.
- Mayonnaise – the other half of the base of the salad dressing. If you don’t like mayonnaise, you can use all sour cream, but the dressing won’t be quite as thick in texture, or rich in flavor.
- Lime juice – I always recommend fresh-squeezed juice for the best flavor.
- Chili powder + salt + black pepper – to season the dressing for the salad.
- Cayenne pepper (optional) – if you don’t like spice, do not add the cayenne pepper. I add just ½ teaspoon to the dressing, giving the salad a medium heat level. Without the cayenne pepper, the salad is very mild in spice. You could also add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to amp up the spice of the dressing, instead of using the cayenne pepper.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll want to start this recipe by cooking the corn. Follow this blog post for how to cook corn on the cob six different ways. For this recipe, I like to grill the corn, out of the husks and directly on the grill grates. If you don’t have a grill available, you can use one of the other methods to cook the corn.
If you’re using canned or frozen corn, you’ll want to cook the corn kernels on the stove. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (avocado oil, canola oil, or olive oil) to a large cast iron skillet on the stove over high heat. Add the corn kernels and cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the corn becomes slightly charred.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Add macaroni noodles and cook according to the packaging instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to cool down the pasta and stop the cooking process. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- Prepare the salad dressing. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, salt and pepper. Optionally add cayenne pepper for heat. Set the dressing aside.
- Assemble the salad. Add diced onions, chopped cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese and charred corn kernels to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Pour the salad dressing into the bowl.
- Toss to combine. Use a spatula to gently toss the pasta salad until it’s fully combined. Cover the salad and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. This will allow the flavors of the salad to develop. I recommend garnishing the salad with chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija before serving, but this step is optional.
Make ahead and storage tips
You can make this recipe ahead of time. In fact, the pasta salad gets even better as it sits and soaks in the flavors of the dressing. If you’re making the salad 24 hours in advance, or more, be sure to cover it before placing it in the fridge.
Store elote pasta salad leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I always recommend eating the salad cold, and storing it in an airtight container to preserve the fresh flavors.
Optional additions
Stir in any of these additions to mix up the flavor of this Mexican street corn pasta salad!
- ½ cup cooked, crumbled bacon
- ½ cup minced green or red bell pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced)
- 15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 avocado (diced)
And to make this recipe gluten free, substitute in gluten-free macaroni noodles.
What to serve it with
This Mexican street corn pasta salad is a delicious summer side dish to pair with grilled or smoked meats. It’s also a great dish to serve year-round with your favorite Mexican main dishes. Make it over and over again, and try it with all of these delicious recipes!
Pair the pasta salad with these recipes in the summer.
- Smash Burgers
- Smoked Pulled Pork
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Smoked Pork Chops
- Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
- Chipotle Lime Chicken Fajita Skewers
- Rotisserie Picanha
- Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak
Or pair the salad with these Mexican meals anytime of the year.
More Mexican sides
Try these other delicious and simple Mexican side dishes, perfect for your next fiesta!
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 cups corn kernels, canned, frozen, or from 3 ears of corn
- ½ pound uncooked macaroni noodles, approximately 1 ¾ cups dry pasta
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (use queso fresco or feta, if you can’t find cotija)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
For the chili lime dressing
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh-squeezed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional – for spice
Instructions
- You’ll want to start this recipe by cooking the corn. Follow this blog post for how to cook corn on the cob six different ways. For this recipe, I like to grill the corn, out of the husks and directly on the grill grates. If you don’t have a grill available, you can use one of the other methods to cook the corn. Once the corn is cooked, use a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cob and set them aside.
- If you’re using canned or frozen corn, you’ll want to cook the corn kernels on the stove. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (avocado oil, canola oil, or olive oil) to a large cast iron skillet on the stove over high heat. Add the corn kernels and cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the corn becomes slightly charred. Remove from the heat and set the corn aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to cool down the pasta and stop the cooking process. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cooked corn, minced onion, cotija cheese and cilantro to the bowl with the cooked macaroni noodles.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Optionally add cayenne pepper for heat. Pour the dressing over the salad in the bowl.
- Toss all of the ingredients together.
- Cover and place the salad in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours. This will allow the flavors of the salad to develop.
Notes
- You can grill the corn up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the salad.
- You can also make the entire salad ahead of time. In fact, the pasta salad gets even better as it sits and soaks in the flavors of the dressing. If you’re making the salad 24 hours in advance, or more, be sure to cover it before placing it in the fridge.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I always recommend eating the salad cold, and storing it in an airtight container to preserve the fresh flavors.
- To make this recipe gluten free, substitute in gluten-free macaroni noodles.
Nutrition Facts
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