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Healthy Street Corn Pasta Salad

Healthy street corn salad with charred corn, lime-cumin Greek yogurt dressing, and crumbled cotija. Elote-style Mexican pasta salad that’s creamy but lighter, with a crunchy jalapeño kick.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad base
  • 1 lb pasta shells or rotini
  • 4 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen, charred)
  • 1 pound corn kernels (fresh or frozen, charred)
Creamy lime dressing
  • 0.5 cup Greek yogurt
  • 0.25 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 0.5 tsp cumin
  • 0.5 salt to taste
  • 0.5 pepper to taste
Street corn toppings
  • 0.5 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 0.25 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño, diced

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Cook the pasta shells or rotini according to package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
Char the corn
  1. Char the corn kernels (fresh or frozen, charred) in a hot cast iron skillet until lightly blackened, stirring as needed for even color.
Make the creamy lime dressing
  1. Whisk together Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth and pourable.
Assemble and coat
  1. Combine the pasta shells or rotini, charred corn kernels (fresh or frozen, charred), jalapeño, and half the cotija cheese in a large bowl.
Chill and finish
  1. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly so every piece looks lightly creamy.
Chill before serving
  1. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let the pasta absorb flavor, then top with the remaining cotija cheese and cilantro right before serving.

Notes

For best char, let the corn sit in the hot skillet long enough to darken before stirring. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; freezing is not recommended because the pasta texture can soften. For a lighter option, use all Greek yogurt instead of mixing with mayonnaise while keeping the same lime juice and spices.