Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

5 from 1 vote

This fresh & flavorful Mexican street corn pasta salad is everything you love about elote in a cup, but much more filling! Enjoy it as a side dish, appetizer, or a quick bite between meals!

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Total Time55

Course: Appetizers, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings: servings

Calories: 772kcal

Author: Nena Sterner

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

1 cup Ditalini pasta (uncooked)
3 large corn cobs
1 medium large jalapeno
4 oz canned green chilies
2 medium green onions (divided)
½ bunch cilantro
½ cup mayo
½ cup cotija cheese
½ cup asadero cheese
4 tablespoon salted butter
3 teaspoon Elote seasoning
⅓ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Tajin seasoning

Dressing Ingredients

1 medium serrano
½ bunch cilantro (divided)
2 medium green onions
1 small avocado
1 medium lime (juiced)
½ cup sour cream
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Start by adding uncooked pasta to boiling water and cook over medium-high heat until al dente, or softer if desired. Rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking, then drain and set aside.
Remove corn husks and brush off as much of the silk as possible, then boil for 10-15 minutes or until corn is fully cooked. Remove from the water with tongs and set aside to cool.
While the corn is boiling, make the dressing by combining serranos, cilantro, green onions, avocado, lime juice, sour cream, garlic, and salt and blend until smooth.
Prepare the pasta salad by adding the cooled pasta to a large bowl, along with diced jalapeno, green chiles, green onions, cilantro, mayonnaise, dressing, cotija cheese, and asadero cheese. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Brush a light coating of melted butter over corn cobs to help reduce kernels popping, then lightly roast over a stovetop burner, using metal tongs to hold them.
Use a sharp knife to remove kernels from corn cobs. Mix elote seasoning and smoked paprika with the remaining butter, then drizzle over corn and toss until evenly coated.
Mix corn into pasta salad, then top with more crumbled cotija cheese and Tajin seasoning. Taste to see if the seasoning needs to be adjusted.

Notes

A drizzle of Mexican crema is another great way to add visual appeal! If you don't have any, you can whisk a little water into some sour cream until it's thin enough to drizzle.
While I use this cilantro lime sauce as the dressing, you can use your own preferred dressing if you don't like cilantro.
Feel free to mix in other veggies like cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, etc.
The ratio of pasta to corn in this recipe is about 2:1. If you would like a 1:1 ratio you can use 5 or 6 corn cobs.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Keep in mind this Mexican pasta salad is best when eaten within 24 hours. Because the dressing is made with avocado it may start to change color over time.

Nutrition