Description
Creamy Street Corn Pasta Salad: A crowd-pleasing, comforting dish with grilled corn, creamy sauce, and zesty lime. Perfect for summer gatherings!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound (450g) short pasta (fusilli, farfalle, or rotini work best)
- 4 ears fresh corn, husks removed (or 3 cups/450g frozen corn, thawed)
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil, divided
- 1 cup (240ml) mayonnaise
- ¼ cup (60ml) sour cream
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) honey
- 1 teaspoon (5g) chili powder
- ½ teaspoon (2.5g) smoked paprika
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- ½ red onion, finely diced (about ½ cup/80g)
- ¼ cup (15g) fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup (60g) cotija cheese, crumbled (substitute with feta if unavailable)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook the Pasta Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add your pasta and cook until just past al dente, typically 1 minute longer than package instructions suggest (about 9-11 minutes for most short pastas). Once cooked, drain thoroughly and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking, then set aside in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Prepare the Corn For the authentic street corn experience in your Creamy Street Corn Pasta Salad, char your corn. If grilling, brush corn with remaining olive oil and grill over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally until you see charred spots develop. Alternatively, broil in the oven or char in a cast-iron skillet. Once charred, let the corn cool enough to handle, then carefully cut the kernels from the cob using a sharp knife. Stand the corn upright in a shallow bowl to catch all those sweet kernels as they fall.
- Step 3: Make the Dressing In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, honey, chili powder, smoked paprika, minced garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper until smooth and well-combined. Taste and adjust seasonings – you want a nice balance of creamy, tangy, sweet and spicy flavors that will coat your pasta and vegetables perfectly.
- Step 4: Combine Everything Add the charred corn kernels, diced jalapeño, red onion, and most of the cilantro (reserve some for garnish) to your pasta in the large mixing bowl. Pour in the creamy dressing and gently fold everything together until all pasta and vegetables are evenly coated. Add three-quarters of the cotija cheese and fold in gently.
- Step 5: Chill and Serve Cover your Creamy Street Corn Pasta Salad and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (though 2 hours is better) to allow flavors to meld together. Before serving, give it a good stir, taste for seasoning, and adjust with salt, pepper, or an extra squeeze of lime if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining cotija cheese and cilantro for a beautiful presentation that hints at the flavor explosion waiting inside.
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 380 per serving
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 390mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 25mg