The flavors of Mexican street corn in a delicious pasta salad. This elote pasta salad has all the components of traditional Mexican street corn mixed with tender pasta for the perfect summer side dish. Made with simple ingredients and homemade creamy dressing, this easy recipe comes together quickly and makes a large batch.  Perfect for your next BBQ or potluck.

What is Elote?

The world “elote” means “corn cob” in Spanish, and Mexican Elote is grilled corn on the cob slathered in a mayo cream sauce and garnished with chili powder, cheese and lime. Elotes are as commonly sold from street carts in Mexico as hot dogs are in Manhatten.

How to make Elote Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels, from about 4 cobs
• 1 package (16 oz) Organic Pipe Pasta, cooked according to package instructions, cold
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons Tajín seasoning, plus more for garnish
• 1 medium red onion, small diced
• 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced
• ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil and corn kernels. Cook, stirring often, until the corn is bright yellow and slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Transfer the corn to a plate and allow to cool to room temperature, 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the charred corn, cold pasta, mayonnaise, lime juice, Tajín, red onion, jalapeños, cotija, and cilantro. Toss to coat.
3. Transfer the pasta salad to a serving platter and garnish with more Tajín. Serve cold.
4. Leftover pasta salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Tips & Tricks

• For the best flavor and texture, salad should be served within a few hours of preparation.
• If you plan on making enough for leftovers, you may want to double up on the dressing and keep half in the fridge.  Before serving, toss the leftovers in some extra dressing to make the pasta salad creamy again.
• Fresh lime juice is a must.  If you want to increase the lime flavor, add a bit of the lime zest.
• You will want to cook the corn before making the recipe. Since the recipe calls for sauteing the corn kernels to toast them, you may want to grill the corn cob or cook it in the air fryer, and you can skip the sautee.