Think of this as Mexican street corn meets creamy macaroni salad. Sweet grilled corn, tender pasta, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro are tossed in a creamy mayo-and-sour cream dressing packed with lime, pickled jalapeños, and garlic. It serves 8 generously as a side dish, so there’s plenty to share at your next BBQ, or potluck. Don’t be surprised if it quickly disappears!
A Summer Pasta Salad to Make All Season Long
Fresh corn season is here so there’s no better time to enjoy it! I took the ingredients from my Mexican Street Corn Dip, and turned it into this mouthwatering summer pasta salad. Sweet and tender, grilled corn is delicious paired with pasta and the creamy dressing is tangy and rich with just the right amount of heat.
This vegetarian pasta salad is loaded with all the things you love about Mexican street corn, in a shareable side dish. It feeds a small crowd and can hang out in the fridge for days. Its flavor improves with time!
This Recipe Is
- make ahead ready
- sweet and spicy: spicy is adjustable to taste
- packed with fresh corn
If you make homemade summer salad recipes, and enjoy sweet corn, this is a delicious and fun recipe to make.
For best flavor and texture, use fresh, in season sweet corn. Look for white queen corn or other sweet corn that’s firm with bright green tightly wrapped husks.
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How to Make Street Corn Pasta Salad
step by step
I tested this recipe using varying amounts of jalapeños and found 3 tablespoons of minced jalapeños to be the sweet spot. You can reduce this a bit to 2 tablespoons for a milder heat or increase it to 4 for a spicy (totally mouthwatering) pasta salad.
Share Corn Pasta Salad With
This side salad pairs easily with so many summer dishes. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to share it with:
- Black Bean and Oat Veggie Burgers – whipped up in a food processor, these sturdy patties are smoky, savory and satisfying.
- Grilled BBQ Tofu Vegetable Kebabs – hearty tofu is marinated in BBQ sauce, then skewered with cherry tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and mushrooms grilled to perfection.
- Artichoke Chickpea Vegan Crab Cakes – you’d hardly know this reader favorite recipe isn’t the real deal. They have all the seasonings and veggies you’d find in classic crab cakes, without the crab!
Traci’s Tips
- Chill It: this recipe improves with a little time. You can make it a day ahead and store it in the fridge until ready to share. Allow it to set for about 10 – 15 minutes at room temperature before serving so the fats can soften a bit.
- The Corn: we’re grilling fresh corn on the cob for this recipe, but I’ve also included how to make it with fresh corn niblets, charred in a skillet in case grilling isn’t an option.
Creamy Grilled Street Corn Pasta Salad
Think of this as Mexican street corn meets creamy macaroni salad. Sweet grilled corn, tender pasta, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro are tossed in a creamy mayo-and-sour-cream dressing packed with lime, pickled jalapeños, and garlic. It serves about 8, so there's plenty to share at your next BBQ, or potluck. Don't be surprised if it quickly disappears! This recipe makes about 8 cups of pasta salad, enough for about 1 cup per serving.
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Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 cups (9.5 ounces / 265 grams) Elbow Macaroni Pasta
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
- 5 ears Sweet Corn on the Cob, shucked, silk removed. you'll need about 3 1/2 – 4 cups (about 500 grams) corn niblets
- 3/4 cup (50 grams) Green Onion, sliced thin, about 4 green onions
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) Cotija Cheese, crumbled or diced small (see note for subs)**
- 1/2 cup (25 grams) Fresh Cilantro, chopped fine, about 1 small bunch
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) Mayonnaise, I like Vegenaise
- 1/2 cup (130 grams) Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) Fresh Lime Juice, from about 3 large limes
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Minced Garlic, about 2 large cloves
- 3 – 4 tablespoons Pickled Jalapenos, chopped fine (adjust to taste)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Smoky Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder, or Ancho Chili Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 4 tablespoons Water , adjust as needed
Instructions
- Cook The Pasta: Cook macaroni according to package directions, adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt at the start of cooking instead of the salt amount indicated on the cooking instructions (this can vary by brand). Stir often to prevent sticking. Cook until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse with cold running water, tossing and rinsing the pasta until it's cool to touch. Set aside.
- Grill the Corn: Meanwhile, prepare the grill by oiling the grates with a high heat oil like avocado oil. Turn the grill on to preheat on highest setting and preheat for about five minutes. *Alternatively, see notes below to cook the corn on the stove top.Place the corn on the grill and allow the kernels to char, rotating every few minutes as needed until all sides are lightly charred, about 8-15 minutes. Grills vary in their heat, so keep an eye on the charring.Remove from grill and set at room temperature to cool. When the corn is just cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cob. To do this, stand the corn on one end in a pie plate and slice in a downward motion against the cob. The pie plate helps contain the corn niblets as they fall off the cob. Set aside.
- Make the Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, garlic, jalapeños, cumin, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, and salt until smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator to keep cold until ready to assemble the salad.
- Assemble the Salad: Into the mixing bowl with the dressing, add the pasta, corn kernels, green onions, cheese, and cilantro. Stir throughly so that all the corn and pasta is covered with dressing. Stir in 3-4 tablespoons water to loosen the salad as desired. Taste for salt adjustment. Share right away or refrigerate until ready to enjoy. Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Notes
*Skillet Charred Corn: you can use a skillet (cast iron preferred) to achieve a similar charred corn result. Here’s what to do: cut the corn kernels off the cob and gently pan fry in a bit of oil over medium high heat, allowing the corn to set before stirring so that it has time to char on one side, about 2 minutes. Toss, then continue cooking until the kernels are lightly charred, or about 8-10 minutes total.
**Cotija Cheese may be subbed with: Queso Fresco – similar to cotija and often used interchangeably in elote recipes, it’s softer and has a milder flavor than cotija. Feta Cheese – a salty cheese and softer than cotija and queso fresco, but the flavor profile is similar. Parmesan Cheese – use grated Parmesan and a bit less of it as it’s quite salty.
Make it Egg Free / Gluten Free: make the salad with your favorite egg free mayonnaise, gluten free pasta and seasonings.
Note: Estimated nutrition is calculated with the added salt (2 teaspoons) in the recipe. 1 1/2 teaspoons is used to salt the pasta water, so some sodium will be lost when draining the pasta water.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 899mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 790IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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