Elote Pasta Salad
This Elote Pasta Salad has all the same elements as Mexican street corn: charred corn, a tangy chili-lime dressing, and plenty of crumbled cotija. It's all tossed together with cooked pasta to create a Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad that is sure to become a favorite summer side dish.
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If you’ve ever had Mexican street corn, chances are you became an instant fan of the signature charred corn slathered with a creamy sauce. Seasoned with chili, lime, and topped with crumbly cotija cheese, it all comes together for the perfect bite.
This Elote Pasta Salad mixes everything you love about Mexican street corn into a summer pasta salad that absolutely crushes it at barbecues and company potlucks. My take is a Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad that uses short-cut ditalini pasta, which cooks up to be about the size of corn kernels. This results in every bite being perfectly balanced with every flavor.
Growing up in the Midwest, I know a thing or two about pasta salad. I’ve been making variations of pasta salads for as long as I can remember. I also know a thing or two about corn, as summers were spent in my grandpa’s field picking sweet corn. That corn was shucked, cooked up, and rolled around in butter.
This Elote Pasta Salad takes those summer memories and combines it with one of my favorite Mexican corn preparations, resulting in an incredible pasta salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
One of the best parts of this Mexican street corn pasta salad is that it’s totally customizable to fit your needs. I was inspired to create this dish by one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products, a frozen Roasted Corn that comes fire-roasted for the best flavor.
If you don’t have access to this roasted corn, you can substitute any frozen corn and simply char it in a skillet with a bit of olive oil or butter.
Along with the corn, you only need a few additional ingredients:
- Short-cut pasta: Ditalini is preferred. The tube pasta has pieces that resemble a cut-up drinking straw and are the size of corn kernels. Small macaroni or bowtie pasta can be substituted.
- Chopped vegetables: Diced red onion, chopped green onions, and a finely diced jalapeño add flavor, crunch, and just the right amount of heat.
- Fresh herbs: Chopped cilantro adds color and signature flavor.
- Creamy dressing: Mayonnaise, sour cream, and cotija cheese combine for the creamy elements of Mexican street corn. Swap in Greek yogurt for the sour cream, if you prefer.
- Spices and seasonings: Garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper bring the familiar flavors and spice to the dressing for this Elote Pasta Salad.
- Lime juice: The acidic punch needed to round out all of the flavors.
How to Make Elote Pasta Salad
One of the best parts of this Mexican street corn pasta salad is that the entire batch comes together in about 25 minutes with minimal cooking. Here’s how to do it.
Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely.
Char the corn. Using the same pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add thawed corn and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly charred. Even if you’re using corn that is already fire-roasted, this step helps solidify the flavors. Let cool.
Make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta and corn. Add red onion, jalapeño, green onions, and cilantro, stirring to evenly distribute.
Add the cotija cheese and dressing, then toss until fully coated.
Chill and serve. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flavors to come together and helps the dressing thicken and cling to the pasta.
Before serving, give it a quick stir and top with extra cotija cheese.
Recipe Tips & Variations
This is one of those recipes that’s easy to adapt based on your preferences or what you have available:
- Choose the right pasta: Small shapes like ditalini or elbow macaroni work best so you get a little of everything in each bite.
- Use fire-roasted corn: A great shortcut that adds extra smoky flavor. I like the Trader Joe’s version, but you can look for other fire-roasted corn in the freezer section. Canned corn also can work, but be sure to roast it in a pan with olive oil to get that signature char.
- Adjust the heat: Keep the jalapeño seeds for more spice or leave the pepper out entirely for a milder version. You also could add in some chopped red bell pepper for added color.
- Swap the cheese: If you can’t find cotija, feta cheese is a nice substitute. It won’t have that same exact signature flavor, though it does have a salty, crumbly texture that works.
- Make it lighter: Sour cream is preferred for the dressing, though you can make it lighter by swapping in Greek yogurt for an equally creamy result.
How to Serve Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
While Elote Pasta Salad is a fantastic summer side dish to serve alongside grilled favorites like shrimp skewers, you can serve it year-round. Pair it alongside other Mexican-inspired favorites like chunky guacamole with tortilla chips and Southwest shrimp salad for a lightened-up Cinco de Mayo celebration.
No matter how you enjoy it, this is one of those recipes that prove simple ingredients can still bring big flavor without requiring all day in the kitchen. Not only is it easy to stir together, but this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad tastes even better after a day or two in the refrigerator. That makes it a fantastic option if you need make-ahead side salads for easy meal prep.
Elote Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the pasta salad
- 8 ounces ditalini pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces frozen corn, thawed
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced small
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1¼ cups cotija cheese, crumbled, plus more for garnish
For the dressing
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream, or Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
For the pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool completely.
For the corn
- Return empty pasta pot to the stove over medium heat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the corn to sauté over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly charred. Let cool.
For the dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Assemble the salad
- Add cooled pasta and corn to a large bowl and toss to combine. Stir in red onion, jalapeño, green onions, and cilantro until evenly distributed.
- Fold in cotija cheese and prepared dressing. Toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together and dressing to thicken. Before serving, stir and top with extra crumbled cotija cheese, as desired.
Notes
• Use pre-roasted corn. Trader Joe’s sells a 16-ounce package of frozen sweet corn that has been fire roasted. This is the corn used for this recipe, and it adds depth and extra smokiness.
• Adjust the heat: Leave the seeds in the jalapeño for more spice or omit the pepper completely for a milder version.
• Swap the cotija. If you can’t find cotija cheese, you can substitute feta cheese for a similar salty, crumbled texture.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
My family loved this!
Thank you for making this, Mike. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.