Elote Street Corn Pasta Salad (Printable View)
Smoky grilled corn meets creamy lime dressing and tender pasta in this bold Mexican-inspired summer salad.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz fusilli or rotini pasta
→ Vegetables
02 - 4 ears corn on the cob (or 3 cups thawed frozen corn)
03 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1/4 red onion, finely diced
05 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
06 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
→ Dressing
07 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
08 - 1/2 cup sour cream
09 - Zest and juice of 1 lime
10 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
13 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
14 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
→ Cheese
15 - 3/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (or feta as a substitute)
→ Optional Additions
16 - 1 jalapeño, finely diced
17 - 1 avocado, diced
# How To Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli or rotini according to package directions until al dente. Drain well and rinse under cold running water to halt cooking. Set aside to cool completely.
02 - Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Place corn ears directly on the grate and grill for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until kernels are lightly charred and smoky. Let cool, then stand each ear upright and slice kernels from the cob. If using frozen corn, sauté in a dry skillet over high heat until edges begin to blacken.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper (if desired), sea salt, and black pepper until smooth and fully combined.
04 - Add the cooled pasta, grilled corn kernels, diced red bell pepper, red onion, green onions, and chopped cilantro to the dressing. Toss thoroughly, ensuring every ingredient is evenly coated.
05 - Gently fold in crumbled cotija cheese. If using, add the diced jalapeño and avocado, folding with care to keep avocado pieces intact.
06 - Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Taste before serving and adjust salt, pepper, or lime juice as needed.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The dressing tastes like the best elote you have ever had, but you get to eat it with a fork at a table instead of standing over a grill.
- It feeds a crowd, travels beautifully, and actually tastes better the next day when the flavors have had time to party together overnight.
02 -
- Do not skip rinsing the pasta under cold water, because residual heat will melt the dressing into a greasy puddle and you will wonder what went wrong.
- Charring the corn is where all the smoky depth comes from, so be patient and let those black spots develop before you pull the ears off the grill.
03 -
- Make the dressing up to three days ahead and keep it in the fridge, which means on the day of your gathering you only need to boil pasta and char corn.
- Slice the avocado right before serving and gently lay it on top rather than folding it in, which keeps every cube intact and looking gorgeous.