This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is the ultimate in flavor, pairing the charred flavors of street corn in pasta salad. Elote salad is well loved; turning it into a cold pasta salad is about to become a favorite of yours.
This pasta salad is perfect for summer potlucks, family dinners, BBQs, and any truly any night. Pasta, roasted corn, and jalapẽno in a creamy Lime Tajin dressing will be in high demand.
For specifics on the recipe use the table of contents to click on sections of the recipe.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Kitchen Tools
- How to Make Mexican Corn Pasta Salad
- Make-ahead, storage, and freezer tips
- Eileen's Tips for Success
- How to Make the Best Mexican Pasta Salad
- Make It Your Own
- Serving Suggestions
- More Pasta Salad Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
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Why you'll love Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Perfect for a crowd: It's a crowd-pleaser salad that's great for potlucks, game day festivities, and family gatherings.
- Summer Side Dish: The Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is a versatile side perfect for lunch and dinner.
- Add a Protein: Add your favorite Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp for a full meal.
- Affordable: The ingredients are easy to find and affordable.
I do not know anyone who doesn't love a great-tasting recipe with Mexican flavors. Some favorites are Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad and Mexican Black Bean Chicken Salad.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup Mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
- Mexican Crema
- minced garlic
- Tajin
- fresh lime juice
- short pasta
- roasted corn
- red onion
- chopped green onions
- jalapeños
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- cotija cheese
- fresh diced cilantro
How to Make Mexican Corn Pasta Salad
This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
How to make the Mexican Corn Pasta Salad Dressing
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk until well combined.
How to Assemble Mexican Corn Pasta Salad
- Add the pasta salad ingredients over the pasta salad dressing.
- Gently fold ingredients together to blend.
Make-ahead, storage, and freezer tips
Storage: Leftover Mexican Corn Pasta Salad can be kept in an airtight covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Meal-Planning/Make Ahead: I make this a full meal by adding chicken, pork, or shrimp. For meal planning, I make the pasta ahead of time and dice and store veggies in airtight containers. Put everything together in the morning. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Eileen's Tips for Success
- Pasta: I prefer cavatappi because the dressing gets into all the pasta twists. Season the pasta water well with salt to add flavor to the pasta.
- Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water: Rinsing the pasta stops the cooking and cools it quickly. This keeps the pasta from turning mushy and prevents it from absorbing too much dressing before you're ready to serve.
- Corn: Do not skip the step of roasting corn, grilling corn, or sautéing in a pan. The char on the corn will add an extra level of flavor to the pasta salad.
- Short-Cuts: Grocery stores sell frozen roasted corn that works well for this recipe. Great when making this when corn is out of season.
How to Make the Best Mexican Pasta Salad
- Be sure to salt the water well before adding the pasta. This pasta absorbs the seasoned water while it cooks.
- Add most of the dressing to the warm pasta so the pasta absorbs the flavors. Add the last â…“ of the dressing after it has cooled completely to keep the pasta moist.
- Do not add the fresh herbs until ready to serve so herbs stay fresh.
- For this recipe, cotija cheese is best added after the pasta has cooled so it stays fresh.
Make It Your Own
Do you want to change up this recipe? Here are some ways to change the flavor of this dish.
- Pasta: Any short-tubed pasta works. Gluten-free pasta, this is what I use, Barilla Rotini. For high protein, Banza cavatappi is my first choice.
- Mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt: I use plain Greek yogurt to increase protein.
- Protein: Add your favorite chicken, shrimp, or crab for a full meal.
Yes. I recommend rinsing the pasta in cold water once the pasta is cooked through. This stops the cooking immediately and ensures the best-tasting pasta salad.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
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Eileen xo
If you click the number of servings in the recipe card, you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
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Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup Mayonnaise or Greek yogurt, ½ cup Mexican Crema, 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 teaspoons Tajin, and 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice. Taste for seasoning; if needed, adjust the seasonings.
- Add 16 ounces cooked short pasta, 2 cups roasted corn, ½ red onion (diced), 1 cup chopped green onions, 2 jalapeños diced), ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Gently fold ingredients until very well combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 12 hours to chill.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle ½ cup cotija cheese and ¼ cup fresh diced cilantro over the pasta salad. The perfect dish for your summer grill out.
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