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Street Corn Pasta Salad

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This quick Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is loaded with delicious corn, queso fresco, and a deliciously smokey, and refreshing dressing. It’s quick and easy to throw together and is made up of a combination of both pantry and fresh ingredients, most of which you probably already have, and the ones you don’t are easy to find at any grocery store!

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 3 [32 oz] servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8 oz dry orzo (they usually come in 16oz boxes, so half a box if that’s the case)
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 12 oz frozen sweet corn kernels
  • 1 small jalapeño (seeded and minced(optional))
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (See Notes 1 for substitutions)
  • 1 garlic clove (grated)
  • 2/3 cup American Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Avocado Oil (See Notes 2 for substitutions)
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (maybe more to taste)
  • 3 oz cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or fresh)
  • 10 oz queso fresco (Broken into crumbles/chunks)
  • sea salt (to taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta to al dente in salted water: Drain. Set aside to cool (I run a little cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking and help prevent it from sticking).
  2. Sauté the corn: Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Cook the corn for about 7 minutes, or until you see some golden brown spots.
  3. Make the dressing: In a medium-sized mixing bowl: mix the mayonnaise, avocado oil, lime juice, chipotle and regular chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, about 8oz/3/4 of the Queso Fresco, half of the tomatoes, and half of the cilantro (or parsley) until combined
  4. Add the corn and pasta. Mix until coated.
  5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  6. Top with the remaining cheese, cilantro, and tomatoes, and ENJOY!

Equipment

Notes

Substitutions:

  1. Parsley can be used instead of cilantro OR it can be omitted completely
  2. Vegetable oil, olive oil, or sunflower oil are all good options.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Cook the pasta just until al dente. Nothing ruins any pasta salad quicker than mushy, overcooked pasta. I recommend cooking the pasta for 1 minute less than the lowest recommended cooking time on the package. For example: if the package recommends 9-11 minutes, cook it for 8 minutes, then pull it off the heat and strain. Especially since this will be sitting for a bit of cooling.

If sweet corn is in season where you are, you can definitely (and quite honestly I would) use grilled corn on the cob instead of frozen corn in a pan! Husk and clean your corn, then grill the cobs to lightly char the kernels. It’ll add an entirely new dimension to your salad!

The dressing in this pasta salad is light, and might not be “creamy” by the time you eat it if you let it sit. It personally doesn’t bother me, but if you find you need to, add a couple of tablespoons of mayo and a squeeze of lime to add a little “creaminess” to it. You might also need to add some salt, so check that too.

  • Author: Jenn Giam Smith
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: stove-top
  • Cuisine: American, Mexican-American

Find it online: https://www.jenn-smith.com/street-corn-pasta-salad/