This Mexican pasta salad is packed with corn, pasta and veggies and is tossed in delicious greek yogurt Mexican dressing. It makes the perfect lunch, dinner or BBQ side dish.
Ingredients needed for Mexican pasta salad
Below are some of the main ingredients for the pasta salad:
- Canned fire roasted corn
- Pasta
- Jalapeno
- Red bell pepper
- Red onion
- Cilantro
- Cotija Cheese
In addition to the ingredients above, you will need to make the dressing.
- Plain greek yogurt
- Mayo
- Fresh lime juice
- Seasonings: Chili powder, salt, smoked paprika, ground pepper, and cumin
How to make this Mexican pasta salad
First, cook the pasta according to the package. Let the pasta cool while you prepare your other ingredients.
Second, drain the canned fire roasted corn in a colander and add it to a large bowl. Add in the diced jalapeño, red bell pepper, onion, cilantro and cotija cheese. Then add in the cooled pasta. Mix and set aside.
Now make the dressing. In a medium or small bowl add the greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice and seasonings. Mix until fully combined.
Pour the dressing over the pasta and chopped ingredients in the large bowl. Mix until fully combined.
Finally, let the pasta salad chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving. It is best served cold! Enjoy!
Kitchen tools needed
You will need a few kitchen items to make this pasta salad.
- A large bowl, for serving
- A small/medium bowl, to make the dressing
- A mixing spoon, to mix the salad together
- Knife, for dicing the veggies
- Measuring cups: 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup
- Measuring spoons: 1 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp
What is street corn?
Street corn is also known as Mexican elote aka Mexican corn. The first time I had street corn was a few years ago. Peter and I went to a small taco restaurant in Providence and they had it on the menu. To my own surprise, I ended up loving it besides getting corn stuck in my teeth lol.
Flash forward a few years, we were traveling in Arizona and stopped at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. We ordered street corn salad as an appetizer (essentially the same thing as street corn but not on the cob). It was SO good and SO much easier to eat because it wasn’t on the cob and it didn’t get stuck in your teeth (lol no floss necessary).
Now, present day, I knew I wanted to recreate my own street corn with a twist. And thats how this street corn pasta salad was born. It is truly my new favorite pasta salad and I am a total pasta lover, especially in the summer time. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Other healthy dinner recipes you’ll love
Try out some of my healthy, yet delicious dinner recipes below!
- Greek Chicken Meatballs with Lemon Orzo
- The Best Flavorful Turkey Meatballs
- BBQ Jalapeno Cheddar Turkey Burgers
- Lemon Kale Caesar Salad
Did you make this recipe
I hope you give this Mexican pasta salad recipe a try! They make the perfect breakfast treat.
If you do give this recipe a try, please let me know! Please leave a comment with a star rating below. Your reviews and comments help support Brae’s Bites and allows me to continue to make delicious recipes!
For some more recipe inspiration, you can also find and follow me on Instagram and Pinterest!
Mexican Pasta Salad (Healthier, Street Corn)
Ingredients
- 14.5 oz can of fire roasted corn drained
- 8 oz dry pasta cooked according to the package
- 1 jalapeno finely diced and seeds removed
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ cup cotija cheese crumbled
Sauce
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt I use chobani
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ¼ tsp cumin
- juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- First, cook the pasta according to the package. Let the pasta cool while you prepare your other ingredients.
- Drain the fire roasted corn in a colander. Add it to a large serving bowl.
- Now finely chop the the diced jalapeño, red bell pepper, onion, cilantro and cotija cheese. Add it into the bowl with the corn. Then add in the cooled pasta. Mix and set aside.
- In a small or medium bowl prepare the dressing. Add the greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice and seasonings. Mix until fully combined.
- Pour the dressing into the large mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Mix until everything is coated and combined.
- Finally, let the pasta salad chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving. It is the best when served cold. Enjoy!
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