Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Since trying Mexican Street Corn last Summer, I have fallen in love with the flavor combination of corn, Cotija cheese, and Ancho and Chipotle chile powders.

I will admit that using canned corn saves a bit of time at the sacrifice of some flavor, so it is up to you to prepare the corn as you prefer. At this particular time, I went the canned corn route and it was delicious. Next time I will try grilled for a bit more flavor.

Many thanks to Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice for this recipe. Instead of plain chili powder, I used Ancho chile powder which has great flavor. Chipotle chile powder would also be great.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces pasta, your choice, get something twisty/curly
• Dressing:
• 1/3 cup mayonaisse
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon ancho or chipotle chile powder, plus more for dusting top (If you can’t find those, regular chile powder works)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice plus more for serving
• Salad:
• 2 cans corn, drained (alternatively, 3-4 large corn cobs, grilled, then corn cut off)
• 1 diced avocado
• 1/4 cup chopped green scallions
• 1/2 cup Cotija or feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro 
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta to al dente in salted boiling water.
2. Meanwhile whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.
3. Drain the cooked pasta and add to a large bowl with a tiny bit of the dressing – toss to coat, cover and refrigerate until cool.
4. Once cooled mix in the corn, avocado, scallion, both cheeses and the cilantro. Add the dressing a little at a time tossing gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Serve chilled or at room temperature with a dusting of chile powder.

Recipe slightly adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. Sharing this recipe at the following fun link parties.