Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
This quick and easy Mexican street corn pasta salad is loaded with savory charred corn, salty cotija cheese and a tangy chipotle lime dressing. Enjoy on its own as an easy lunch or serve as a side dish for your next taco night.
Ingredients
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- 2 cups ditalini pasta (uncooked), or any small pasta shape**
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, enough to coat the skillet
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels*, about 4-6 ears total
- fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1/2 of a fresh jalapeño ***, minced, seeds and ribs removed
- 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped, reserve some for garnish
- 1 bunch scallions, sliced, reserve some for garnish
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled, reserve some for garnish
Chipotle Lime Dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 whole chipotle peppers***, packed in adobo
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice, plus the zest of 1 of the limes
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Bring a large pasta pot of water to a boil over high heat, then salt the water liberally. Add ditalini pasta, stir, and cook according to package instructions. When the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water until pasta cools.
- Heat a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. Once skillet is heated, drizzle in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to coat. Add the corn kernels to the pan in one even layer. Salt and pepper to taste then immediately cover the skillet with a lid (when the kernels start to char and caramelize, they will begin to pop and splatter).
- Cook on high heat undisturbed for 5 minutes, or until corn is nicely charred on the bottom and fully cooked through. Remove lid, reduce the heat to medium, and add in the 2 cloves of minced garlic. Stir to combine and cook for an additional minute or two. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Gather the minced and seeded jalapeño, finely chopped cilantro, thinly sliced scallions, and crumbled cotija cheese, reserving some of the cilantro, scallions, and cheese for garnish.
Chipotle Lime Dressing
- Place the sour cream, mayo, chipotle peppers, fresh lime juice, and lime zest in a blender and blend to combine. Add kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste, and set aside until ready for assembly.
Assemble
- In a large bowl (or the cooled pasta pot) mix the cooked and cooled pasta with the cooled charred corn, jalapeño, cilantro, scallion ,and crumbled cotija cheese. Pour over the chipotle lime dressing, (you may not need all of it****) and toss to combine. Taste and add additional kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper if needed.
- Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the reserved cilantro, scallion, and cotija cheese. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve, reserving garnish in a separate container if making ahead.
Equipment
- 1 Large pasta pot
- 1 Large skillet with lid
- 1 immersion or standard blender
Notes
*You can easily sub frozen corn kernels for fresh if you are making this dish out of season or if you don't have access to fresh corn. Add the frozen kernels right to your skillet-- no need to pre thaw! Just allow for a few extra minutes of cooking time to ensure you get a nice char on your frozen corn. Avoid canned corn as it is too wet to achieve good caramelization.
**If you can't find ditalini, use any small pasta shape. Mini shells and mini farfalle (bowties) work great here. Just look for pasta that is roughly the same size as the kernels of corn.
***Using half of a seeded jalapeño and 2 chipotle peppers gives this Mexican street corn pasta salad just a bit of a kick. If you love spicy food, start there and add more to taste as you go.
****You may not need all of the dressing, especially if you are serving the pasta salad immediately. Start with 3/4th of the dressing and if making ahead reserve 1/4th of the dressing to add to the pasta salad just before serving, as the pasta will absorb a lot of it while it sits.