Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This Mexican street corn pasta salad is bursting with flavor! Mixed in a creamy and zesty dressing with sweet corn and cotija cheese!

This Mexican street corn pasta salad is a game changer to all pasta salads!

If you’ve ever tried Mexican street corn on the cob, you know how good it is. Just imagine it in pasta form! Um, yes please.

Aside from the deliciousness that this pasta salad has to offer…look at the vibrant colors! It screams summer!

If you make this for a bbq this summer, I guarantee it will be a huge hit! Ditch the original pasta salad. Try this one out! Its good to change things up a bit!

The dressing for this pasta salad is super flavorful and creamy! And just like most pasta salads, it can dry out the longer it sits in the fridge. A good tip is to coat the cooked pasta in some olive oil to prevent things from drying out.

The best way to serve this pasta is right after you make it.

Are you a fan of cilantro? I am, but not too much. If you like it, or love it, add as much or as little, or none at all! It still would taste amazing without.

Let’s talk about cotija cheese for a second. I recently found out about it when I was looking up Mexican street corn recipes. And Im so happy I discovered it!

Its kinda like feta cheese. But super crumbly, and a tad more salty and milky. I’m a fan!

So, have I sold you on this recipe? I hope so! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did if you make it!

If your a fan of pasta salads, make sure to check out another one of mine for balsamic caprese pasta salad! https://thehungrylyoness.com/2020/06/18/balsamic-caprese-pasta-salad/

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This Mexican street corn pasta salad is bursting with flavor! Mixed in a creamy and zesty dressing with sweet corn and cotija cheese!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

• 16 oz. box of rotini pasta
• olive oil
• 15 oz. can of corn OR 2 cups of frozen corn, cooked
• 1/2 cup cotija cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped + more for garnish If you don't like cilantro, you can skip this ingredient, or use parsley instead!
• paprika for garnish (optional)

For Dressing

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• salt + pepper, to taste
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lime zest
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

 

• Mix together all of the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• When pasta is done, place in large strainer in sink and rinse with cold water to speed up cooling process.
• Make sure to drain as much water as you can. You don't want watery pasta salad!
• Place pasta back in the pot you used to cook it in, and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper. Mix together to coat.
• Add your corn, cotija cheese, cilantro and most of the dressing (you want to save some dressing to drizzle on after) to the pot with pasta. Mix everything well together.
• Transfer pasta to a serving bowl. Drizzle the rest of your dressing on top of pasta. Sprinkle with some more cotija cheese (optional), paprika (optional), cilantro (optional), and cut up lime wedges (optional).
• See *note below for tips on preventing salad from drying out.
• Enjoy!!

Notes

* Just like any pasta salad, the dressing can dry out the pasta the longer it sits in the fridge. Make sure to drizzle a good amount of olive oil on pasta to help it stay creamy.

If you are making this for a gathering that you are attending, make the pasta salad a little before you head to the gathering so it doesn’t have enough time to dry out.

If you are hosting the gathering, make the pasta salad in time so it’s ready to serve right away. The creamier it is, the better!

Keyword bbq food, corn, mexican street corn, pasta, pasta salad, salad, side dish