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a bowl of creamy mexican street corn pasta salad with corn, cilantro, red onions, ditalini pasta and creamy dressing
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Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This Mexican street corn pasta salad is a creamy, flavor-packed side dish made with tender pasta, sweet grilled corn, cotija cheese, and a zesty lime dressing. Inspired by classic elote, it’s perfect for BBQs, potlucks, or easy summer meals.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: 15 of the Best Pasta Salad Recipes on the Internet
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: bbq side dish, best summer recipes, easy side dish, elote, mexican street corn, pasta salad
Servings: 16
Author: Carrian Cheney

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 16 Ounces Pasta I used ditalini, but macaroni or bowtie works
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 6 Ears Corn husked, or 1 ½ bags fire roasted frozen corn
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter

For the Dressing

For the Salad

  • ¾-1 Cup Cotija Cheese
  • 1-2 Avocados chopped
  • ½ Cup Cilantro minced
  • ½ Red Onion minced
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat a pot of water over medium high heat. Once boiling, add salt and pasta. Cook until just over done. NOT al dente, you want to cook past that point so that the pasta will not absorb the dressing, but instead coat the pasta.
    16 Ounces Pasta, 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • Sauté the corn in the butter over medium heat until charred. Remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
    6 Ears Corn, 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • Drain the pasta well and run under cold water in a colander, tossing with your fingers occasionally to cool it completely.
  • Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
    1 ¼ Cups Mayonnaise, ¼ Cup Sour Cream, 2 teaspoons Chili Powder, 1 teaspoon Cumin, 1 Lime, 2 Limes
  • Add the pasta, corn, cheese, avocados, cilantro and onions to a large serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and fold gently with a rubber spatula, seasoning with additional salt as needed. Seasoning is key!
    ¾-1 Cup Cotija Cheese, 1-2 Avocados, ½ Cup Cilantro, ½ Red Onion
  • Serve slightly warm, room temperature or cold.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg