Description
A creamy, tangy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad packed with bold flavors like sautéed corn, cotija cheese, jalapeños, and a chile lime dressing. Perfect for BBQs, potlucks, or a quick and healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 16 oz rotini pasta
- 2 (15 oz) cans golden kernel corn
- 1 cup cotija cheese (or feta), crumbled
- 2/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 small/medium red onion, diced
- 1.5 large jalapeños, deseeded, deveined & diced (about 1/3 cup)
- Olive oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
- 3–4 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (heaping)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Boil the rotini pasta in a large pot of generously salted water until al dente. Drain and let cool completely.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the corn and sauté it until browned and slightly seared. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, sautéed corn, chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced jalapeños, and crumbled cotija cheese.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt, cayenne, and black pepper until smooth.
5. Pour about two-thirds of the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to coat. Reserve the remaining dressing for refreshing leftovers.
Notes
Salt the pasta water generously to season the pasta properly.
Only cook the pasta until al dente to avoid a mushy salad.
Sautéing the corn enhances its natural sweetness and adds a grilled flavor.
Adjust jalapeños and cayenne to control the heat level.
For added protein, mix in black beans, grilled shrimp, or chopped bacon.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 420mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 25mg