Elote Corn Pasta Salad Recipe

There's certainly no shortage of pasta salad recipes out there, and moreover, there's virtually no shortage of ways to spruce up even the most old-fashioned of recipes. One way to improve boring pasta salad is by giving it a Mexican-inspired lift with simple ingredients, and that's exactly what this elote corn pasta salad recipe does. Brought to us by recipe developer Julianne De Witt, this elote pasta salad has an effortlessly summery vibe, with sweet pops of corn, fresh crunchy jalapeño and bell peppers, and herby cilantro all contributing to one bright, minimal-cook dish.

"This recipe brings the savory flavors of street corn to pasta salad," De Witt says, adding, "It's an easy salad to put together and is the perfect side for barbecue season, taco night, or potlucks." Although elote is typically a snack enjoyed on the cob, you can find an off-the-cob version of the smoky, tangy, spicy snack called esquites, which is served in a cup. This pasta salad highlights all those flavors and ingredients in a hearty plated format, pairing them with fusilli pasta and a creamy dressing for a fun and fresh revamp on the beloved BBQ side. Best of all, this recipe requires less than 20 minutes to throw together (and the only cooking element is boiling the pasta itself), meaning that whether you need a quick side for a potluck, BBQ, or just a light weeknight dinner paired with some crusty bread, this elote pasta salad won't let you down.

Any good pasta salad recipe starts with the pasta itself, and for this one, De Witt opts for fusilli pasta. You'll also need kosher salt for boiling the pasta.

Next up is the dressing, for which you'll need sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, sea salt, and freshly-ground black pepper. Finally, the elote elements come into play thanks to thawed frozen corn, diced scallions, a seeded and minced jalapeño, a seeded and minced red bell pepper, crumbled cotija cheese, and cilantro.

Add the kosher salt to a pot of water and bring it to a boil.

Add the fusilli and cook until al dente, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine the ingredients.

Drain the fusilli and rinse it under cold water until it's completely cooled.

Add the pasta, corn, scallions, jalapeño, red pepper, cilantro, and ½ cup of cotija to a large bowl.

Start with ⅔ of the dressing and toss to combine, adding more as desired.

Top with the remaining cotija and serve.

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Although this pasta salad recipe is pretty straightforward and easy to make, De Witt offers some tips to keep in mind to ensure that it comes out as fresh and delicious as possible. It all starts with the heart of the pasta salad — the pasta itself — so take care to ensure that you're cooking the fusilli properly, starting with salting the water when boiling. No, salting the water doesn't make it boil faster, but it will help the pasta come out nice and flavorful all on its own, and it may help reduce stickiness as well. Cook the pasta just until al dente so that it holds its shape in the pasta salad without turning to mush, and be sure to rinse it in cold water right when it's done cooking to cool it quickly and avoid sticking.

While salting the pasta water is a good idea, you'll want to be a little more conservative with the salt in the pasta salad itself. De Witt calls for just ½ teaspoon of salt in the salad dressing since another salad component, the cotija cheese, is quite salty all on its own. To make sure you don't overdress your pasta salad (and to avoid the whole dish becoming too salty), De Witt recommends tossing the salad with only some of the dressing to start, giving it a taste, and then adding more dressing as desired.

This elote corn pasta salad is already vegetarian by nature, but it's not vegan due to inclusions like sour cream and mayonnaise in the dressing and cotija cheese in the salad itself. Luckily, you can simply swap in plant-based versions of the sour cream and mayonnaise for an easy fix on the dressing end. As for the cotija, simply omit it altogether and consider sprinkling some nutritional yeast into the mix to help provide that subtly cheesy, savory flavor profile. De Witt notes that you could even toss in some black beans for added protein and fiber, if desired.

Other than making this pasta salad vegan, there are more general ingredient swaps to play around with, too. De Witt notes that other small pasta shapes will work here in place of the fusilli, like penne, rotini, farfalle, or cavatappi, which will all offer a generally similar size. If you can't find cotija at the grocery store, reach for the similarly crumbly feta cheese instead. Finally, since the jalapeño in this salad is seeded, there's not too much spice to it — but if you'd like to amp up the spice, consider adding even more jalapeño or even a diced habanero to turn things up a notch.

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