This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is a kid-friendly twist on traditional Mexican street corn. Mexican street corn pasta salad is a non-spicy, corn-off-the-cob, black bean, and pasta casserole tossed with Mexican crema and cojita cheese. A delicious and easy barbecue side dish or side served with traditional taquitos, tacos, or enchiladas. Ready in 20 minutes with no grilling required! Corn is pan fried in smoked paprika for a smokey flare.
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You need this Mexican street corn pasta salad in your life, like now! This recipe is full of super sweet corn that's given a smokey grilled flare by being sauteed in smoked paprika. Corn, black beans, red onions, and pasta are tossed with cotija cheese and a creamy lime-infused Mexican crema dressing.
You can choose to serve this delectable Mexican street corn casserole with or without chili powder. This makes it a great Mexican side dish that the kids can enjoy too.
Mexican street corn-off-the-cob makes a perfect flavor-packed side dish for a summer barbecue, potluck, or even meal prepping. It's a pasta salad recipe that is perfect for those like me who do not like mayonnaise, a common ingredient in many pasta salad recipes.
This Mexican street corn pasta salad does not use mayo and is instead slathered in a rich Mexican cream sauce.
It's essentially a deconstructed Mexican street corn that's given a sweet and smoky flavor without the grill. It's easy, healthy, and delicious!
Mexican street corn is a popular dish made of sweet corn, usually on the cob. It is coated with a dressing that consists of mayonnaise, crema, and chili powder, which is sprinkled with salty cotija cheese. It's called "Mexican street corn" because it's widely served at Mexican festivals by street vendors.
Kid-Friendly Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
While this pasta salad recipe is written as a kid-friendly version without the spice of chili powder, you can easily add it for a more traditional Mexican street corn recipe. I keep the chili powder out of the cream dressing but encourage the adults to sprinkle it on their bowls.
Low Carb Version
If you're looking for a lower carb version of this Mexican street corn casserole, you can leave out the pasta and replace it with more sweet corn. If leaving out the pasta, double the amount of corn and you'll have a lovely super sweet Mexican street corn-off-the-cob casserole.
I hope that you and your kids enjoy this Mexican street corn pasta salad at your next barbecue! Please let me know what you thought in the comments, and follow me on Pinterest for the latest recipes.
Ingredients
To make Mexican street corn pasta salad, you need:
- uncooked pasta (cavatappi or other short pasta is great)
- canned sweet corn
- diced red onion
- smoked paprika
- canned black beans
- fresh cilantro
- grated cotija cheese
I normally use cavatappi, farfalle, or elbow macaroni when making pasta salads, but any short pasta will be great. While this recipe calls for canned sweet corn and canned black beans for ease, you can use dried beans or grill corn on the cob and slice off the kernels.
To make the dressing, you need Mexican crema, the juice and zest of a lime, and salt + pepper. Chili powder is optional if you don't mind the heat, but if you're making it for kids, I suggest leaving it out of the dressing and adding it to individual bowls instead.
If you have trouble finding Mexican crema or prefer to make your own, here is a great recipe. Note that it takes 12-24 hours of resting time before homemade Mexican crema will be ready to use.
Step-By-Step Directions
To make Mexican street corn pasta salad, you'll need to first cook the pasta and pan fry (or grill) the canned corn and red onions.
To pan fry the corn, mix it with red onions and sprinkle with the smoked paprika. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, only turning once so that you get a nice charred side to the corn. To accomplish this, do not use oil or butter. Instead, spray the pan with cooking spray so that the corn doesn't stick.
While the pasta and corn cook, combine the Mexican crema, lime juice and zest, salt, and pepper.
Once the pasta and corn are cooked, mix them with the pasta.
Now add the dressing and cilantro and mix to coat everything in that creamy sauce.
Then add the cotija cheese.
And that's all there is to making this Mexican street corn pasta salad recipe! Once served, sprinkle on chili powder if desired.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad {Kid-Friendly Option}
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 ½ cups uncooked pasta (cavatappi or other short pasta)
- 2 cans sweet corn (15 oz each)
- ¼ cup red onions, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 can black beans (15 oz)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 cup cotija cheese
For the Dressing
- 1 ½ cup Mexican crema
- 1 lime + zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder (optional or for serving only)
Instructions
- Boil the pasta as indicated on the package.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle the corn and red onions with smoked paprika. Saute for 10 minutes on a grill pan tossing once halfway through. Corn will have started to turn brown.
- While the corn cooks, mix ingredients for the dressing. You can leave out the chili powder here to eliminate the spice. If leaving out, add to individual bowls when serving if desired.
- When pasta and corn/onions are cooked, mix with beans, cilantro, dressing, and cotija cheese. Stir to combine. Serve at room temperature or warmed.
Nutrition
Serving
This Mexican street corn pasta salad is excellent served warm but can be served at room temperature too. If you'd like to serve it warm, heat the Mexican crema dressing for 60 seconds in the microwave before adding to the pasta salad.
Serve it as a bbq side dish with other grilled favorites, like this grilled cilantro lemon-lime chicken or plain ole hamburgers and hot dogs. It's also amazing served alongside crispy homemade chicken taquitos or enchiladas, or with any of your other favorite Mexican dishes.
Mexican street corn salad can be stored in the fridge for around 5 days.
I hope you've enjoyed this delectable Mexican street corn off the cob casserole and will be making it part of your summer bbq and grilling go-to's! Please let me know what you thought in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to give it a star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments! And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for more delicious recipes!
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