Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad (Esquites)

This vibrant and flavorful pasta salad draws inspiration from elote and esquites, Mexican street corn. Charred corn kernels bursting with sweetness are cut off the cob (or you can use frozen corn) and tossed with cooked pasta in a creamy, spicy sauce.

Course pasta

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 8

Servings

Calories 532kcal

Author Kylie Mazon-Chambers

Ingredients

½ pound macaroni pasta (or another short pasta shape)
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne powder
1½ cups charred corn kernels cut off the cob
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled cotija cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Cook the pasta until just al dente, about 8 minutes.
Reserve ¼ cup (60g) of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, chili powder and cayenne. Whisk in 2 tablespoons (29g) of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce.
Add the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the sauce and charred corn. Stir to combine.
Top with the cilantro, green onions and cotija cheese, gently stirring once more. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Notes

Toss the pasta with the dressing while it’s still slightly warm—this helps the sauce coat each piece and soak in the flavors more evenly.

Nutrition