If you love the bold, creamy, and zesty flavors of classic Mexican street corn, get ready for your new favorite side dish! This Elote Pasta Salad brings together sweet corn, tangy lime, smoky spices, fresh herbs, and salty cotija cheese, all tossed with tender pasta and a luscious dressing. It’s quick to make, easy to customize, and perfect for potlucks, summer BBQs, or weekday dinners when you want something a little different. Every bite is fresh, flavorful, and seriously hard to resist!
Serving & Storage
- Best served chilled or at room temperature.
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Stays well in the fridge for 3–4 days in a sealed container. Toss in fresh lime juice to freshen up as leftover.
Elote Pasta Salad
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total Time:
25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb rotini pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 ears corn
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
- 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 5 green onion stalks, finely sliced
- 1 cup cotija cheese, grated + more for topping
- 2 tablespoons tajin seasoning + more for topping
- 1 lime
Dressing
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper
Homemade Mayonnaise (optional)
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup neutral oil (I like avocado)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Follow cooking instructions for pasta to cook til al dente. Strain pasta, toss in olive oil and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile cook your corn, this can be done on the grill or microwave. I steamed mine in the microwave- keep corn in the husk and microwave for 2 1/2-3 1/2 minutes depending on size of cob. You can check for doneness by peeling open husk slightly to check kernels. Once cooked, carefully remove husks and cut off kernels.
- If making mayonnaise from scratch, add egg, oil, vinegar and salt to a tall jar with egg at the bottom. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth starting at the bottom and slowly raisong up.
- Prepare dressing by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl/jar.
- To a large bowl, mix together pasta, cilantro, 4 of the sliced green onion stalks, 3/4 of the corn, cotija cheese, and tajin. Toss in dressing. Top with remaining corn, cilantro, green onion, cotija and tajin. If you are making it in advance, I bring along the lime to squeeze on top prior to serving. Enjoy!
