Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Mexican street corn pasta salad uses lots of fresh vegetables to create a flavor profile reminiscent of elote. It’s an excellent side dish for a summer meal.

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: adobo peppers, chipotle peppers, cilantro, cojita, ditalini pasta, fresh cilantro, fresh corn, fresh garlic, frozen corn, green onions, jalapeno, lime juice, lime zest, mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, queso fresco, sour cream

Ingredients

16 ounces ditalini pasta or another small pasta
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
3 cups fresh or frozen corn
4 cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, diced
1 bunch green onion sliced thinly
1 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
10 ounces queso fresco or cotija cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream I used fat free
1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
2 to 3 whole chipotle peppers packed in adobo
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
zest from one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain it and rinse it with cold water, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once it’s hot, add the corn to the skillet and stir regularly, getting a light char on the kernels. Add the garlic into the pan and saute for just about a minute, and then remove the skillet from the heat. Set it aside to cool.
Prepare the jalapeno, green onion and cilantro and add it to a large serving bowl. Crumble in almost all of the cheese, keeping back a handful to top the salad when you’re done.
Combine all of the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until it is smooth.
Add the pasta, cooled corn and dressing to the serving bowl, and stir it well. Stir in any additional salt and pepper, if desired. Refrigerate the pasta salad until it’s completely chilled. Just before serving, top with the reserved cheese.