Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This Mexican street corn pasta salad combines cavatappi pasta with corn, green onions, jalapeño, cilantro, and Mexican cotija cheese, all tossed in a chipotle-lime dressing. Enjoy it with all your favorite grilled chicken, fish, and shrimp entrees.

You are going to love this easy pasta salad made with all the fabulous flavors of grilled street corn.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.

• Pasta: Any short pasta shape will work with this recipe, including penne, rotini, elbow macaroni, farfalle, fusilli, and cellentani pasta.
• Corn: Fresh or frozen corn. You will need about 3 cups of corn.
• Jalapenos: Use fresh jalapeños. Look for the younger peppers that are smooth and green all over with no striations or blemishes. 
• Cotija cheese: This is a Mexican crumbly cheese. You can find it at most local grocery stores.
• Mayonnaise: I love Duke’s mayo, but you can use your favorite brand.
• Sour cream: Use full-fat for the best flavor and consistency.
• Lime juice: Freshly squeezed is always best.
• Chipotle peppers: They are packed in small cans with adobo sauce. You can find them in the Hispanic food section of most grocery stores. Store the remaining Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month or freeze them for up to 3 months.
• Adobo sauce: Use the sauce packed with the chipotle peppers

How To Make Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.

1. Whisk the chipotle lime dressing together in a medium bowl.
2. Blacken the corn in a large cast-iron skillet.
3. Cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions, then drain well.
4. Combine the pasta, corn, green onions, jalapeño, cilantro, and cotija cheese in a large serving bowl.
5. Pour the dressing over the top and toss to coat.

Preparation Tips

• Always cook the pasta al dente. It improves the texture, and the pasta does not swell as much, absorbing the dressing.
• For a healthier salad that is higher in protein, substitute Greek yogurt for the mayo.
• Other vegetables to use include red onion, carrots, and assorted colored bell peppers.
• You can easily blacken corn by placing it in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with a little neutral oil and tossing it every few minutes. You can use canned corn, but drain it well.

Food Pairing Ideas

• Chicken: ranch chicken, buffalo chicken wrap, or lemon pepper chicken
• Soup: chicken taco soup, crockpot chicken tortilla soup, or chicken taco soup
• Casserole: chili cornbread casserole, chicken enchilada casserole, or taco casserole

More Pasta Salad Recipes

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