It's heating up out there and a cold pasta salad sounds so good! Corn is one of my favorite parts of summer, so I got inspired to make this Mexican street corn pasta salad I've been seeing all over Instagram. Traditional street corn pasta salad calls for cotija cheese which is often made using animal rennet, rendering it not kosher since it mixes milk and meat. I like for my recipes to be approachable and I do not want you to pull out your hair trying to find a kosher version of cotija (does it even exist?) So I made mine with grated parmesan cheese which is fabulous and of course easy to to find!
Ingredients:
- Frozen or fresh corn: Although it is the season of fresh corn, I wanted to cut down on the prep time. Frozen corn is packed at the peak of freshness and when it's sauteed in butter, the delicious sweet flavor really shines through. If you have some cooked fresh corn on hand, feel free to use it instead!
- Butter: Butter or oil works well here, but of course butter has the better flavor!
- Ditalini pasta: It's such a fun pasta shape and makes a really nice spoonful of salad because it's a similar size to corn. Any shape pasta (besides long noodles) will work well here!
- Scallions
- Jalapeno
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado- I only recommend if serving immediately or add it in just before serving.
- Grated parmesan cheese- makes the perfect substitute for the classily used cotija cheese in this recipe.
For the dressing:
- Mayonnaise - is used in Mexican street corn making it the perfect creamy base for this salad.
- Sour cream- Adds a creamy texture and a tangy flavor to the dressing.
- Fresh lime juice
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
How to make Mexican street corn pasta salad:
- Start by boiling water for the pasta and cooking it until el dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet. Cook the corn, stirring often, until it's lightly charred. Transfer to a salad bowl.
- Chop the scallions, jalapeno, fresh cilantro, and avocado (if using)
- Drain the pasta and cool with cold water. Toss the pasta with oil while you finish preparing the salad components so it doesn't stick together.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- When ready to serve, toss the charred corn with cooled pasta, scallions, jalapeno, fresh cilantro and avocado. Sprinkle in the parmesan and drizzle on the dressing.
- Mix well and serve immediately.
Preparing Mexican street corn pasta salad in advance and storing:
This salad can definitely be prepared in advance. If your planning to do so, I recommend leaving out the avocado or adding it just before serving because it will get brown and mushy. For making the pasta salad more than a day ahead, store the components in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
Store leftover Mexican street corn pasta salad for 3-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
More summer salad recipes
The most refreshing cucumber and avocado salad
Fantastic strawberry salad with feta and pecans
Mexican street corn pasta salad
Ingredients
Method
- Start by boiling water for the pasta and cooking it until el dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet. Cook the corn, stirring often, until it's lightly charred. Transfer to a salad bowl.
- Chop the scallions, jalapeno, fresh cilantro, and avocado (if using)
- Drain the pasta and cool with cold water. Toss the pasta with oil while you finish preparing the salad components so it doesn't stick together.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- When ready to serve, toss the charred corn with cooled pasta, scallions, jalapeno, fresh cilantro and avocado. Sprinkle in the parmesan and drizzle on the dressing.
- Mix well and serve immediately.
