Juicy Street Corn Pasta Salad (Printable)
Vibrant pasta salad with charred corn, creamy lime dressing, and crumbly cotija cheese for a refreshing Mexican-inspired dish.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz short pasta (rotini, penne, or fusilli)
→ Vegetables
02 - 4 ears fresh corn (or 3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed)
03 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
05 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
06 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
→ Dressing
07 - 3/4 cup mayonnaise
08 - 1/2 cup sour cream
09 - 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
10 - 1 tsp chili powder
11 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
13 - 1/2 tsp salt
14 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
→ Cheese
15 - 3.5 oz cotija cheese or feta, crumbled
→ Optional Garnishes
16 - Extra cilantro
17 - Lime wedges
18 - Chili powder for sprinkling
# Directions:
01 - Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside to cool.
02 - Preheat grill or skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly oil corn and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and tender (8-10 minutes). Cool and cut kernels from cobs. For frozen corn, sauté in dry skillet until lightly golden.
03 - Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth.
04 - Add cooled pasta, corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro to bowl. Toss well to coat evenly with dressing.
05 - Gently fold in crumbled cotija cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Refrigerate salad at least 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with extra cilantro, lime wedges, and chili powder if desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The combo of cold pasta with warm charred corn creates this incredible temperature contrast that keeps every bite interesting
- Its the dish that actually gets better as it sits, making it your best friend for meal prep or make-ahead picnics
02 -
- Hot pasta will melt your cheese into a weird gloppy mess, so please let it cool completely before mixing
- The salad needs that chill time to let the dressing penetrate the pasta properly
03 -
- Cut the corn off the cobs directly into your mixing bowl to catch all those sweet juices that would otherwise disappear on your cutting board
- Make this the day before and you will swear it tastes better