I know we’re at the very end of summer, but this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad cannot be missed. It’s a must make while corn is still is season!

Not to mention, you probably need a recipe for Labor Day weekend, right? This is it.

I think I’ve used corn this summer more than I ever have before.

A few months ago, I gave my 17 month old corn on the cob – and it was pure bliss. He loved eating it and had so much fun in the process.

Since then, I’ve cooked with it a lot – always looking for new ways to use it and eat it. (Ah, the joys of a 1 year old who isn’t yet picky!).

Safe to say, he and I both gobbled up this pasta salad. It’s so simple, but full of flavor.

The corn is charred and then cut off of the cob. You can use a grill or grill pad here. You can also use tongs to hold the corn over a gas stove until it’s charred.

The charred corn is mixed with Cojita cheese and scallions.

Everything comes together with the most delicious dressing. It’s made with mayo, lime juice and zest, and salt. So simple, but so flavorful.

Pairing it with a curly-shaped pasta is what ties everything together. It adds a fun new texture and more nutrients to make this dish extra filling.

How To Make Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Prepare ingredients

Cook one cup of pasta and gather your ingredients.

Grill the corn

Add the olive oil to a large pan or grill pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the corn on the pan until it’s slightly charred on all sides. Try to leave it for a few minutes before rotating it in order to get a good char.

Cut corn off of the cob

Remove the corn from the pan and cut the corn off of the cob.

Prepare the dressing

In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, and salt.

Add ingredients to bowl

To the bowl with the corn, add the cooked pasta, green onion, parsley, and Cojita cheese.

Add dressing

Pour the dressing over the bowl.

Toss

Toss and mix to combine.

Serve

Serve with fresh limes and tortilla chips.

Easy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Tips

Corn: While corn on the cob will give the most flavor here, you can also use canned corn or frozen corn to save time. Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh – and nothing can beat how long they last.
Parsley: Many Mexican street corn recipes use cilantro. It recently started tasting like soap for me and I can’t get past it, so I used parsley instead. If you like cilantro, use it. Or you can mix half and half cilantro and parsley.
Pasta: I originally made this recipe as a dip without the pasta. It’s delicious both ways! If you feel like making it into a dip instead, make sure to pair with crunchy tortilla chips and/or crunchy veggies (like carrot and cucumber sticks) to dip. If you do make it as is as a pasta salad, make sure to use a curly or spiral-shaped pasta that all the flavors will really cling to well.
Storage: You can store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It tastes best when just made though, so if you can, I recommend prepping everything (char the corn and prepare the sauce) ahead of time, and then mixing everything together right before eating.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mexican