Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
This Mexican street corn pasta salad is creamy, tangy, and loaded with charred corn, cilantro, and lime. A perfect summer side dish or potluck favorite!
During these hot days of summer, my girls and I have been living off of chilled pasta salads. I love the ease of prepping a big batch once and having easy lunches for days.
This delicious Mexican street corn pasta salad is definitely one of our new favorites. I kept it completely vegetarian but it would be super yummy if you added some shredded chicken to it, too!
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Big Bold Flavor: Charred sweet corn, a creamy lime dressing spiced with cumin, fresh cilantro and lime juice, and salty Mexican cheese, there's a lot to love in this easy pasta salad.
- Prep Ahead Friendly: You can make the dish the day before your party. I've got excellent make ahead tips to ensure it stays fresh.
- Popular Party Dish: This recipe will make you the potluck party winner for sure. It's such a fun and unique recipe that will be sure to stand out on the buffet table.
Ingredients
Pantry ingredients with a few fresh produce items, the shopping list is easy:
- Frozen Corn: You can make this any time of year if you use frozen corn. If corn cobs are in season, you can substitute that if you prefer.
- Cotija Cheese: This is a traditional Mexican cheese that can be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. My store was out of it so I substituted queso fresco from Costco which has a sweeter flavor than the more salty cotija. If you can't find either one, you can substitute feta cheese.
- Sour Cream
- Mayonnaise
- Red Bell Pepper
- Jalapeño
- Red Onion
- Fresh Cilantro
- Limes
- Pasta
- Minced Garlic
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
NOTE: The cotija cheese really makes this dish stand out. If you're want to make sure nothing goes to waste, you can also crumble it over a bowl of sopita, a tomato-based Mexican soup that uses very few ingredients.
Cook the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.
Cook the pasta for the lowest time listed on the package so that is still very firm when you drain it.
If you plan to make the pasta salad the day before, you may even want to cook it for 30 seconds less than the lowest time. Having very firm pasta leaves room for the noodles to absorb the moisture from the dressing and vegetables and stay perfectly al dente without going mushy.
Drain the pasta and quickly rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
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Make the Dressing
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and frozen corn. Let it sit and cook a few minutes before each stir so that the corn has a chance to char.
Remove the corn from the heat and allow it to cool. I do this on a large plate to speed things up.
To make the dressing, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, salt, garlic, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, and paprika. Stir until smooth.
Add the diced onion, red pepper, jalapeño, and fresh cilantro, and stir.
Add the strained pasta and cooled corn to the mixing bowl and toss everything together.
Stir in 2/3 of the crumbled cheese and reserve the rest for sprinkling over the top as garnish with more cilantro.
How to Adjust the Spice Level
There is a lot of flavor in this Mexican street corn pasta salad but I wouldn't call it "spicy."
If you want extra kick to your dish, you have a couple options:
- Jalapeño Ribs & Seeds: The real heat in a fresh jalapeño is all in the ribs and seeds. Instead of scooping them out and discarding, you could keep them in half or all of the pepper before stirring into the pasta.
- Cayenne Pepper: You could add a dash or two of cayenne.
- Hot Sauce: Use your favorite Mexican hot sauce and add a few drops to the dressing before tossing.
Make Ahead Tips
If you plan to make this dish ahead of time for a party, you'll definitely want to read my notes on keeping the pasta firm in the section above.
Another handy trick is to reserve half of the dressing before tossing the pasta salad together. Store it in a separate mason jar with a fitted lid in the fridge.
Then, just before serving you can pour the reserved dressing over the pasta and toss for a nice fresh coating of dressing. This way, if the pasta absorbs the sauce you won't have a dry pasta salad.
Variations
Mexican street corn pasta salad is an excellent vegetarian main dish to serve at a party but there are some fun variations you could try:
- Swap the Cheese: If you can't find cotija, use queso fresco or feta.
- Add Protein: Stir in some grilled chicken, black beans, or chopped blackened shrimp.
- Hint of Chili Lime: You could garnish the pasta salad with a sprinkle of tajin for a chili-lime topping.
Serving Suggestions
I made this delicious pasta salad for my family to enjoy as an easy summer lunch. The kids could just grab bowls from the fridge while I was busy with other things.
It would make an excellent side dish served with grilled chicken, burgers, or Mexican pulled pork carnitas. Serve it cold on a hot night with a frozen margarita!
It's absolutely an awesome potluck party recipe to bring. Friends will love this unique addition to the menu.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
Looking for more easy pasta salad recipes to keep in your fridge? Here are a few of my favorites:
📖 Recipe
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 (12 oz) bag of frozen corn thawed and drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound pasta
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeño ribs and seeds removed, minced
- 1/4 cup diced red onion about 1/4 of a medium-sized onion
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese or feta, crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
For the Dressing:
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 fresh limes zested and juiced
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions Start Cooking
- Drizzle the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn to the hot oil and stir. Let the corn sit so that it chars slightly before stirring. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to the lowest time listed on the package. Drain the pasta and briefly rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, kosher salt, minced garlic, cumin, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Whisk them together until well combined.
- Add the diced red pepper, jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro to the mixing bowl. Stir everything together.
- Pour the pasta and cooled corn into the bowl. Gently toss the pasta salad together until everything is well combined.
- Sprinkle 2/3 of the cotija cheese over the pasta and gently fold it in. Transfer the pasta salad to your serving bowl and then garnish with the remaining 1/3 cotija cheese and more cilantro. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.
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This is one of the best things I've ever eaten! Creamy and just the right amount of heat. It's a keeper!
Absolutely delicious!