Mexican Street Corn Pasta (Printable)

Creamy pasta infused with charred corn, cotija cheese, and bright lime flavors. A flavorful Mexican-inspired dish ready in 35 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or rotini pasta
02 - Salt for boiling water

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 3-4 ears fresh corn)
04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Sauce

06 - ½ cup sour cream
07 - ¼ cup mayonnaise
08 - ¼ cup whole milk
09 - 1 tsp chili powder
10 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
11 - ½ tsp ground cumin
12 - 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
13 - 1 tsp lime zest
14 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Toppings

15 - ¾ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
16 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
17 - Extra chili powder or Tajín for garnish
18 - Lime wedges for serving

# How To Make It:

01 - Boil pasta in salted water until al dente per package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water.
02 - Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté corn 4-5 minutes until charred. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
03 - Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, lime juice, lime zest, salt and pepper.
04 - Add cooked pasta and corn to sauce. Toss thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water as needed for creaminess.
05 - Stir in half the cotija cheese and half the cilantro until evenly distributed.
06 - Garnish with remaining cotija, cilantro, extra chili powder or Tajín. Accompany with lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of charred sweet corn and tangy lime creates this incredible sweet-savory balance that makes your taste buds do a little happy dance.
  • Its the perfect recipe for using summer corn, but works beautifully with frozen corn when you need those sunny flavors in the dead of winter.
02 -
  • Dont overcook the pasta or youll end up with a mushy mess when you toss it with the sauce.
  • The sauce will seem thick when you first mix it, but once you add the hot pasta and a splash of pasta water, it transforms into the perfect consistency.
03 -
  • For the most authentic flavor, char your corn in batches so each kernel has space to brown rather than steam.
  • Warm your serving bowl before adding the pasta mixture this helps maintain the perfect creamy consistency all the way to the table.
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