ELOTE (MEXICAN STREET CORN) PASTA SALAD
There’s few things better than bringing a dish to a potluck and having everyone rave about it and leaving with no leftovers. This is that dish AND more. I originally developed this recipe for a potluck back in 2019 (!!) and it was literally gobbled up by 8 people in milliseconds (seriously, people still text me about it). It is inspired by Elote, a Mexican Street Corn that is one of my favorite things on this entire planet. You’ve got charred corn, cotija, mayonnaise, chili powder, and lime, and the flavors just balance each other soooo well. The bacon in this helps imitate the smokiness you taste when you have fresh grilled elote without having to spend an extra step grilling corn and cutting the corn off the cob (but of course you can use fresh corn if you like!). It’s perfect for bringing to potlucks since it can easily be made ahead. Seriously you’re gonna wanna make this one every. single. week. of summer!
Note:
- For the corn, I like using the fire roasted corn from Trader Joe’s because it already comes fire roasted (lol). If you don’t have that, you can get a nice smoky effect in a cast iron by cooking the corn until defrosted, then spreading into a single layer, pressing down, and cooking for a few minutes until you start to see charring.
- For the bacon, my favorite hands off method is to cook it in the oven. Place the oven on a foil lined baking sheet or wire rack and add to a cold oven. THEN, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Starting the bacon cold allows the fat to render more slowly and crisp up perfectly without a messy stove. You can also still use some of the bacon fat from the baking tray to cook the corn!
- For skillet method, add bacon to a cold cast iron skillet and cook on medium heat, flipping as needed, until crispy. Drain on paper towels and cut into bite sized pieces.
- This pasta salad gets a kick of heat from both fresh jalapeños and chipotles in adobo. If you are more sensitive to spice, omit the jalapeños or keep on the side to add individually. The chipotles in adobo are key though to add the right smokiness and not overly spicy, so reduce the jalapeño before you reduce the chipotles in adobo!
Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
This recipe has been a hit since I first posted it in 2019. It’s the perfect side dish to a BBQ that will probably just end up becoming the star!
Ingredients
For the Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Pasta Salad:
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1 lb box of fusilli pasta (you can also use farfalle)
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12 oz package of smoked, thick cut bacon
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12 oz package frozen corn
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1 minced jalapeño (seeds removed)*
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2 chopped green onions (greens and whites)
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¾ cup chopped cilantro
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4 oz cotija cheese crumbled
For the Creamy Chipotle Dressing:
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1 cup plain greek yogurt
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½ cup mayonnaise
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Juice from 2 limes
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2–3 tbsps adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
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1 tsp cumin
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1 tsp chili powder
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Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Elote Pasta Salad:
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Start by cooking your pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking process.
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Cook the bacon. To cook in the oven, place the bacon on a foil lined baking sheet or wire rack and add to a cold oven. THEN, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Starting the bacon cold allows the fat to render more slowly and crisp up perfectly without a messy stove. You can also still use some of the bacon fat from the baking tray to cook the corn! For skillet method, add bacon to a cold cast iron skillet and cook on medium heat, flipping as needed, until crispy. Drain on paper towels and cut into bite sized pieces.
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Add a thin layer of bacon grease in your cast iron skillet for the corn. Add the corn to a cast iron on medium high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until defrosted, then pat down into a compact layer and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the corn starts to pop and you see some charring. Remove from heat and cool.
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In the same bowl you’ll serve your pasta salad, whisk together greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, adobo sauce, cumin, chipotle powder, and pepper. Taste for salt after adding the ingredients since the pasta, bacon, and cotija will add their own salt.
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Add pasta to your dressing, and add in the corn, bacon, jalapeño, green onions, cilantro, and cotija cheese. Toss together until your dressing is well incorporated and serve!
Notes
*omit or reduce jalapeño if you are sensitive to spice
You can make this dish ahead of time by keeping the dressing in the bottom of the bowl and waiting to toss until ready to serve. Store in the fridge but remove 30 minutes before serving to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Side Dish
Hands down best thing I’ve brought to a potluck thank you!
Thanks Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed it!
I make this pasta salad every single BBQ and it is always a hit!! It’s so delicious and flavorful!
This recipe is delicious! I made it as described and used Trader Joe’s corn as you described in your TikTok video.
I also wanted to make it a main dish so added cooked chicken. I didn’t need to adjust the dressing amount, it was perfect even with adding chicken.
Love the idea of adding chicken! So glad you love it too!
So good anytime.
So glad you love it too Nancy!
This recipe absolutely KILLED it at my BBQ, if you don’t make this you’re doing yourself a disservice. It was so easy to make and super flavorful!
We loved this one and made it one week night and laughed at the portion/quantity of food it was (since we weren’t going to a BBQ), but it was fine in three days! We added shredded chicken to make it more of a meal and that was delicious and worked really well. I highly recommend this one for your next party or just weekly meal prep!
Hello! How long would you say leftovers are good for?
They last about a week!