What does "elote" mean?

It translates to "corn on the cob" in Spanish, but usually indicates grilled street corn, which has creamy sauce with spices and is topped with crumbled cheese and cilantro.

If you're prepping it ahead, wait to add the sauce at serving time. Otherwise, the sauce gets less creamy and soaks into the pasta.

Store the leftover pasta salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This recipe only stays creamy when fresh for the first two hours, then the sauce starts to soak into the pasta. Don't worry though, it still tastes amazing, it just doesn't look as pretty.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Name: Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad (Elote)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 3 ears of corn on the cob; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 8 ounces dry shells pasta; 1/2 cup red onion, diced; 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced; 1 roma tomato, seeds and stem removed and diced; 1 jalapeño, seeds, stems and membranes removed and minced; 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled; 1/2 cup sour cream; juice from 1 small lime; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Description

This Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad has the most unique and amazing flavors! Think Pasta Salad meets fresh Mexican ingredients smothered in a creamy sour cream and lime dressing. It's the perfect side dish to bring to those Summer bbqs & it's ready in under 45 minutes!

Ingredients

Scale

Pasta Salad:

3 ears of corn on the cob
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces dry shells pasta
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 roma tomato, seeds and stem removed and diced
1 jalapeño, seeds, stems and membranes removed and minced
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

1/2 cup sour cream
juice from 1 small lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

Carefully cut the fresh corn off the cob and discard cobs.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add in tablespoon of olive oil. Toss in the corn and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. If corn starts to pop out of the skillet, reduce the heat. After it's cooked, allow it to cool in pan for a few minutes, then add into a bowl and place in fridge to cool completely.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the shell pasta according to package instructions until al dente, firm when bitten into. Once it's finished cooking, strain in a colander and rinse well with cold water. Shake well to remove excess water.
As the pasta is cooking, make the dressing by combining sour cream, fresh lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Whisk or stir together until combined. Note: To make this more pourable, you may want to add 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water to the mix.
Add the pasta into a large serving bowl. Top with cooled corn, red onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeño, and half of the feta cheese. Toss to combine. Add on dressing right before serving and toss to combine.
Top with remaining feta cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Equipment

Flexible Cutting Mats

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Pasta Pot

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skillet

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wusthof knife

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Notes

When roasted the corn, sometimes it will start to pop a bit. If you start getting some flying out of the pan, reduce the heat.
Remove the seeds, stems, and membranes of the jalapeño to make the salad less spicy.
To make the sour cream sauce a little thinner and more pourable, whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of water or milk.
This pasta salad tastes best at serving because the sour cream sauce soaks into the pasta in the fridge. If you prep it ahead, wait to add the dressing right before eating.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Fridge Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Side Dish
Method: stovetop
Cuisine: Mexican