Name: Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 16 ounces orecchiette pasta; 1 16-ounce packages frozen corn, thawed (or equal amounts fresh corn); ½ medium red onion, diced or about ½ cup; 2 garlic cloves, minced; ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro; 2-3 tablespoons diced green chilies or jalapeños; ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese; ¾ cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons pasta water, reserved

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A serving bowl of Mexican street corn pasta salad.

Why you’ll love this Mexican street corn pasta salad

With the various flavors of Mexican street corn, the perfect balance of sweet, salty and spicy, it’s easy to see why this pasta salad works so perfectly. Adding some pasta to the flavors was simple and it works so well. The prepared pasta lasted quite a few days in the fridge and was even more flavorful the second day so you might just get to enjoy leftovers, if there are any.

If you like this recipe, you have to try this creamy corn pasta, and this Noodles and Co. copycat pasta fresca and this easy to make curry pasta.

Searching for more pasta salad recipes? Some of our favorites include this lemon orzo salad, blt pasta salad and dill pickle pasta salad. We bet you will love them too!

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Overhead photo of a serving bowl full of pasta salad next to a bowl of limes and a bowl of chopped cilantro.

Ingredients & substitutions

Corn – We used frozen corn for this recipe, but you can absolutely use corn on the cob, or freshly grilled corn to add that fire roasted taste. If you get lucky your grocery store may have frozen fire roasted corn.
Jalapeños – For this recipe we used a can of diced jalapeños. Melissa doesn’t mess with chopping peppers since she had a crazy pepper burn years ago. If you’re cool with fresh, go for it. They will definitely add some extra heat. Diced green chilis are an option if you prefer your salad to be mild.
Cilantro – This is key to the recipe, but if you’re one of those people who hates cilantro, you could substitute it for fresh basil or parsley. Chives would be a good option, too.
Cotija cheese – This is a grated cheese that is kind of like a mix between feta and parmesan. It’s really great in this recipe, but you can always leave it out to make this recipe dairy free.

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

Close up of orecchiette pasta salad inspired by elote street corn made with corn, cilantro, red onion, and cotija cheese.

The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.

How to make this elote pasta salad

Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package directions, to al denté. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and set aside to cool. If you are ready to mix up your salad right away go ahead and give the pasta a rinse under some cool water.

Make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. When the pasta water has been removed, whisk in 2 tablespoons of pasta water. Set aside for salad assembly.

Mix and chill. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled pasta and remaining ingredients, except the cotija cheese. Stir until dressing is well dispersed then stir in the cotija cheese. Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes prior to serving, this allows the flavors to meld together fully. Garnish with additional cilantro and lime wedges.