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.
Servings: 8
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
• Choose short-cut pasta. If you can’t find ditalini in stores, swap in small elbow macaroni or other short-cut pasta. The goal is to choose pasta that is similar in size to the corn.
• 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.
• 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.