This street corn pasta salad incorporates the flavors of Mexican-style street corn into a creamy pasta salad. It’s full of sweet summer corn, black beans, tomatoes, cotija cheese, and topped off with a herby cilantro-lime dressing. A favorite for a BBQ, camping trip or quick weeknight family meal!
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The Bay Area weather is still warm and sunny which means beautiful late summer produce is plentiful! The corn is perfectly sweet and crisp and I’m cooking up as much of it as I can get my hands on.
Easy pasta salads are my go-to for quick weeknight meals. After a recent BBQ, I made a street corn pasta salad with extra corn on hand, and it was so delicious that we wanted to make it again and again! This recipe is inspired by Mexican street corn and my favorite black bean and corn salsa, so it has all those summer flavors you know and love.
Grilled corn, jalapeños, onions, sliced tomatoes, and fresh herbs are so refreshing on hot summer days, and I love how the sweetness of the corn mellows out the heat from the peppers. Plus, it can be served as a delicious side dish, but it’s hearty enough to be offered as a main dish, too. Grilling the corn adds the best flavor!
As always, this recipe is approved by my 14 month old who is obsessed with pasta right now!
Also try my grilled corn and black bean salsa recipe.
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Ingredients
This easy Mexican street corn pasta salad combines fresh vegetables, cheese, and pantry staples to create a new family favorite.
- Fusilli pasta
- Fresh corn
- Black beans
- Cherry tomatoes
- Diced red onion
- Jalapeno
- Cotija cheese
- Cilantro leaves
- Butter
Cilantro-lime Dressing
- Fresh cilantro
- Greek yogurt
- Fresh lime juice and lime zest
- Salt and black pepper
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
The best thing about pasta salads is that they taste better after they sit in the fridge for a day, which also makes them incredibly easy to serve at family gatherings, BBQs, and more. This recipe requires minimal effort and all the delicious flavors come out after a few hours in the fridge!
Step 1: Make dressing by combining all ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth.
Step 2: With the food processor running, drizzle in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add more if needed to create a smooth creamy texture. Set dressing aside while you prepare the pasta salad.
Step 3: Heat the grill to medium-high heat and add the corn. Grill corn, turning every few minutes and brush with butter until some of the corn is a little charred, about 10 minutes. Remove corn from the grill and let cool.
Step 5: In a pot of salted water, cook pasta to al dente following the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add cooked pasta, tomatoes, onion, black beans, jalapeno and half a cup of cotija cheese to the bowl with corn. Gently stir in about ½ of the dressing. Cover bowl and let chill for about 2 hours, or until ready to serve (up to 24 hours).
Step 4: Cut corn kernels off cob and add to a large serving bowl.
Step 6: When ready to serve, add additional dressing as needed for desired consistency. Top with remaining cojita cheese and cilantro.
Variations + Substitutions
The best pasta salads are quick, easy, and adaptable to your taste preferences. This vegetarian street corn pasta salad recipe can be made in many different ways depending on the other ingredients you have on hand.
- Corn – Fire-roasted frozen corn can be substituted for fresh corn. Canned corn won’t have quite the same flavor, so stick with fresh or frozen.
- Pasta – Fusilli works well, but you can use any short pasta such as penne or rigatoni.
- Cheese – If you can’t find cojita cheese, feta is a good substitution. It’s similarly dry, salty, and crumbly.
- Beans – Black beans add protein, making it perfect for a meal. If serving this salad as a side dish, consider omitting the beans to ligthen the dish.
- Gluten free – Substitute the fusilli for a certified gluten free pasta.
- Spicy – Increase the amount of jalapeños or add some chili flakes to the dressing.
- Herbs – Feel free to add some sliced green onions in addition to the cilantro for an extra pop of flavor.
Equipment
A food processor or high-powered blender is needed to create the perfect cilantro-lime dressing.
Storage
Store the finished elote pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. As always, follow the latest CDC guidelines for safe food storage.
It can be served cold straight from the fridge and does not need to be reheated. I do not recommend freezing, as the ingredients will becomee soft and mushy after thawing.
FAQs about Street Corn Pasta Salad
I recommend making a creamy dressing that can coat each noodle and add an extra boost of flavor. This recipe uses a homemade cilantro lime dressing, which relies on Greek yogurt for plenty of creaminess without all the calories of traditional mayonnaise.
In general, Mexican street corn is served with cotija cheese, which is crumbly, tangy, and salty, similar to feta cheese. If you can’t find it, look for feta instead.
Stick with classic Mexican flavors, like jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, black beans, and cilantro. These will give this easy pasta salad recipe a lot of texture and different flavors to keep every bite interesting. I like to toss the salad with homemade cilantro dressing and salty cotija cheese, too. Every ingredient really sings together!
Related
I absolutely love pasta salads with fresh summer vegetables. The best seasonable vegetables combine with pantry staples for quick and delicious meals. Try this creamy kale pesto pasta or spring pasta with peas and mint recipe.
Street corn pasta salad
- Total Time: 45
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Pasta
1lb box of fusilli pasta
8 ears of corn, husked
4 tablespoons of melted butter
1 15oz can of black beans
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup of diced red onion
1 large jalapeno, minced
1 cup crumbled Cotija cheese, divided
¼ cup of loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
Cilantro-lime Dressing
2 cups cilantro
½ cup greek yogurt
Juice of 1 large lime
Zest of ½ large lime
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 medium jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
1 clove of garlic
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions
- To make dressing, combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth. With the food processor running, drizzle in 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add more if needed to create a smooth creamy texture. Set dressing aside while you prepare the pasta salad.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat and add the corn. Grill corn, turning every few minutes and brush with butter until some of the corn is a little charred, about 10 minutes. Remove corn from the grill and let cool.
- Once cooled, cut corn kernels off cob and add to a large serving bowl.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add cooked pasta, tomatoes, onion, black beans, jalapeno and half a cup of cotija cheese to the bowl with corn. Gently stir in about ½ of the dressing. Cover bowl and let chill for about 2 hours, or until ready to serve (up to 24 hours).
- When ready to serve, add additional dressing as needed for desired consistency. Top with remaining cojita cheese and cilantro.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: pasta
- Cuisine: Mexican
I made this with frozen corn because I don’t have fresh near me now and it was so good!