Street Corn Pasta Salad (Printable)

Creamy, smoky pasta salad with charred corn, lime, chili-mayo dressing and crumbled Cotija—ideal for picnics.

# What you need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 ounces short pasta, such as penne, fusilli, or rotini

→ Vegetables

02 - 4 ears fresh corn, shucked, or 3 cups frozen corn, thawed
03 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
04 - 2 green onions, sliced
05 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

→ Dressing

06 - 1/3 cup mayonnaise
07 - 1/3 cup sour cream
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
09 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
10 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Cheese and Extras

14 - 3.5 ounces Cotija cheese, crumbled, or feta as substitute
15 - 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
02 - Grill fresh corn over high heat, turning until lightly charred on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then slice kernels from the cobs. For frozen corn, sauté in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until slightly charred.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Whisk until dressing is smooth.
04 - Add cooked pasta, charred corn, diced red bell pepper, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, crumbled Cotija, and jalapeño to the bowl. Toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients with dressing.
05 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to develop flavor.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The smoky, creamy dressing clings to every twist of pasta for a bite that’s just as delicious cold as it is freshly made.
  • No-fuss assembly means you can put this together even as guests arrive, and secretly everyone will think you planned ahead.
02 -
  • If you skip chilling, the salad just tastes flat—let it rest and the flavors pop.
  • The first time I used feta instead of Cotija, I realized crumbling it finely helps it blend in rather than clump.
03 -
  • Avoid overcooking pasta; soft noodles soak up too much dressing and turn bland by day two.
  • Rub lime zest into the dressing for extra zing—it’s the shortcut that earns you recipe requests.

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