Creamy Elote Pasta Salad (Printable Version)
Creamy Mexican street corn pasta with cotija cheese, lime, and smoky spices. Perfect summer side dish.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 8 oz short pasta (rotini, penne, or fusilli)
→ Elote Dressing
02 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
03 - 1/4 cup sour cream
04 - 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
05 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
06 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
08 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
09 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
→ Vegetables & Add-ins
10 - 2 cups cooked corn kernels (fresh, grilled, or canned; about 3 ears)
11 - 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese (or feta if unavailable)
12 - 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
13 - 1/4 cup diced red onion
14 - 1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely diced (optional)
→ Garnish
15 - Additional cotija cheese for topping
16 - Extra chopped cilantro
17 - Lime wedges
# Directions:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the short pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain through a strainer and rinse under cold running water to halt cooking. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
03 - Add the cooled pasta, cooked corn kernels, crumbled cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, diced red onion, and finely diced jalapeño to the dressing. Gently toss everything together until all ingredients are evenly coated.
04 - Taste the salad and adjust salt, pepper, or chili powder as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
05 - Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with extra crumbled cotija cheese, additional chopped cilantro, and lime wedges on the side.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dressing tastes like the best street corn you have ever had, but you can eat it with a fork at a picnic without chasing kernels around a plate.
- It comes together in half an hour and actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge, which makes it the rare dish that rewards procrastination.
02 -
- If you rinse the pasta with warm water instead of cold, it will keep cooking and turn soft and sad by the time you serve it, so use the coldest tap you have.
- Grilling the corn directly on the flame until some kernels char black is the single thing that takes this from good pasta salad to the one people beg you to bring.
03 -
- Grill an extra ear of corn and save the kernels in the freezer to toss into soups, tacos, or the next batch of this salad without firing up the grill twice.
- Letting the dressed salad sit overnight in the fridge is the real secret, because the pasta absorbs the lime and cumin and the whole bowl wakes up tasting like it was made by someone who really knows what they are doing.