Description
A delightful fusion of Mexican street corn and pasta salad, this dish combines the flavors of charred corn, creamy cotija cheese, and zesty lime juice for a refreshing summer side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 12 oz rotini or penne pasta
Corn Mixture:
- 3 cups corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Toppings:
- 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Cook pasta until al dente, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Char Corn: Sauté corn in a skillet until lightly charred.
- Make Dressing: Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Combine: In a bowl, mix pasta, charred corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and most of the cotija cheese.
- Toss: Coat everything in dressing, top with remaining cotija cheese and cilantro.
- Serve: Chill or serve at room temperature.
Notes
- For a lighter version, use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Make ahead and refrigerate; stir before serving.
- For extra heat, keep jalapeño seeds or add hot sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad, Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop, No-Bake
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
