Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
This easy Mexican street corn pasta salad tosses tender pasta with a creamy lime dressing and charred sweet corn for a flavorful twist on the classic street festival dish. This crowd-pleaser is perfect for BBQ parties, potlucks, or even serving as a chilled weeknight dinner.
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
- 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.
