Mexican street corn is turned into a pasta salad with lots of charred corn, cotija cheese, cilantro and a special sauce of mayonnaise, sour cream, lime and spices.
This dish is perfect for a summer BBQ party since it's at its best when chilled for 1 - 2 hours in the refrigerator. Or make it a couple of days ahead!
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Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.
Jump to:
- What is Mexican Street Corn?
- ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Freaky Friday
- The Leftovers Then Breakfast Blog
- 🧅 Ingredients + Notes
- 🔪 Recommended Equipment
- ⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- 👩🍳 Preparation Tips
- 📇 More Easy Sides for Summer BBQ Parties
- What Did Everyone Else Make??
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
What is Mexican Street Corn?
Also called elote, Mexican Street Corn is a classic Mexican street food of corn on the cob that's first charred on a grill, and then slathered in a spicy and creamy sauce made of chili, garlic, and Cotija cheese. It's addictive.
The ingredients can be reimagined in many ways, like this pasta, or in a Mexican Street Corn Casserole.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's the perfect make-ahead salad for a party since it's best chilled for 1 - 2 hours before serving. And it's even better made the day before.
- All of the components can be made a few days ahead, and mixed just before it goes into the refrigerator for a chill.
- This pasta salad is super easy to make, and doesn't require any special ingredients.
- Great way to use fresh summer corn.
Freaky Friday
What, you may wonder, is Freaky Friday??
For starters, it's how I found this fabulous recipe that I guarantee you will love.
It's a group of food bloggers who are secretly assigned one another’s blogs to make a recipe from. Then we all reveal who we had and what we made on the same Friday. And that's TODAY!
Many thanks to Michaela from An Affair from the Heart who created and hosts this blog hop. At the bottom of this post, you'll see a list of all of the other recipes our group cooked up - that's what makes it a blog hop :-).
This dish of warm comfort comes from Jennifer at the Leftovers Then Breakfast blog.
The Leftovers Then Breakfast Blog
Jennifer's love of making and sharing food started in her teen years, helping out in her parents' restaurant. And it continued until today cooking for family, friends and her church congregation.
How did her blog come by the name? She's not a big breakfast girl. So breakfast, especially during the week, is often leftovers from the night before. Casseroles and pasta? All just fine for breakfast the next morning. (I totally agree!)
I found so many recipes on her blog I want to try. For example, next month when I'm in a fall mood, I'm making her Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples. It's keto and vegan, and looks absolutely delicious.
But ultimately, I chose to make and share her Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. And I'm so glad I did.
🧅 Ingredients + Notes
- Rotini pasta - other pasta shapes will work as well, as long as they have little pockets where the sauce can tuck into the pasta.
- Corn - either fresh, canned or frozen.
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Lime juice
- Chili powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Garlic salt
- Black pepper
- Cojita cheese
- Fresh cilantro
🔪 Recommended Equipment
- Large pot for boiling pasta
- Colander
- Large non-stick skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Cook the pasta a few days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. This saves time since it has to cool before being added to the salad.
- Char the corn up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container.
- Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container.
- Make the entire dish 1 - 2 days ahead and refrigerate.
👩🍳 Preparation Tips
- Don't overcook the pasta. It's best to cook it for at least 1 minute shorter than what's recommended on the package to make sure it's al dente.
- Rinse the pasta in cold water to remove any excess starch.
- Bring the pasta and charred corn to room temperature before tossing with the sauce.
- Char the corn in a dry skillet, and make sure it's a non-stick skillet, otherwise the starch in the corn will cause the corn to stick to the bottom of the pan. There is no oil or butter added to the pan at all.
- This pasta dish is even better if refrigerated overnight before serving!
📇 More Easy Sides for Summer BBQ Parties
- Baked Beans
- Easy Mexican Black Beans
- Quinoa Zucchini Salad with Tomatoes
- Air Fryer Bell Peppers with Basil and Feta
- 15-Minute Easy Summer Corn and Tomato Salad Recipe
What Did Everyone Else Make??
Now it’s time to see what all of the other participating bloggers made! Seriously, go check them out!
See all of our 2023 Freaky Friday Summer Recipes
Hosted by - An Affair from the Heart
- An Affair from the Heart - Ice Cream Cookie Cake
- The Culinary Compass - Honey Bun Cake Recipe
- Feast + West - White Tea Shot
- The Foodie Affair - Easy Poblanos Chiles Rellenos Casserole Recipe
- Home Cooked Harvest - Orange Poppyseed Cake
- Hostess at Heart - Grapefruit Crush
- Leftovers Then Breakfast - Honey Biscuits
- The Speckled Palate - No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- The Wimpy Vegetarian - Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Recipe
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Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Brussels Sprouts
- 1 pound rotini pasta
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice about 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- pinch black pepper
- ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.Add the pasta and cook to al dente. It's best to cook it 1-2 minutes less than recommended on the package to avoid overcooking.Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water, and set aside to cool completely.
- Shuck the corn and slice off the kernels using a chef's knife. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add the corn kernels. Pan-roast the kernels until they start to get dark brown spots. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic salt in a large mixing bowl. Add black pepper to taste.Add the cooled corn, cooled pasta, Cotija cheese, and cilantro, and toss to completely coat the pasta and corn.
- Cover the pasta salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until chilled. This will also meld the flavors together before serving.
Michaela Kenkel
Susan - what a wonderful salad for summertime! Our sweet corn has been fantastic lately and is begging to be made into this one! I am so happy that you have been a part of this group over the last couple of years. It has been a pleasure getting to know you and to cook from your website. Looking forward to our blogger paths crossing frequently in the future! xo~Michaela
Julie
This Mexican street corn pasta salad is full of fresh and exciting flavors. It will surely be the hit at my next BBQ.
Erin
Seriously SWOONING over this pasta dish! What an awesome combo of flavors. I left out the cilantro (because it tastes like soap--womp womp), and the dish still worked! Added some parsley for color before serving it this past weekend, and it was a hit.
Sandra Shaffer
This is the perfect pasta salad to bring to a potluck! Made this over the weekend and it was devoured!
Sam
I love love love these flavors together and always get asked to bring this dish to get togethers! Definitely a crowd favorite!
Susannah
Okay I think I have just found my #1 recipe to bring to a potluck/picnic/cookout! This was devoured. SO GOOD!
Tristin
I have always loved Mexican street corn and this pasta salad will be the perfect addition to our bbq this weekend! Thanks for the recipe.
Jennifer
Susan I just had a feeling you were going to make this one! We have a few vegan and vegetarian people on my tennis teams and they love this one! It's been such a fun ride with you in Freaky Friday and look forward to many more years of friendship and delicious recipes!