elote inspired pasta salad
Recipes
Lunch
Elote Inspired Pasta Salad
This zesty pasta salad draws inspiration from the flavors of elote—a Mexican recipe with grilled corn on the cob that's smothered in a creamy mayo-based sauce and sprinkled with chili powder, cotija cheese and lime.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces small whole-wheat pasta such as reginetti or elbows (about 2½ cups)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 to 5 ears) or thawed frozen corn kernels
- 4 tablespoons crema mexicana or sour cream
- 4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon grated lime zest
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 4 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, divided
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; cook 6 ounces pasta according to package directions. Drain thoroughly; spread in an even layer on a baking sheet to cool.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups corn; cook, undisturbed, until blistered, about 2 minutes. Stir and spread into an even layer; cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until charred in many spots, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet with the pasta. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine 4 tablespoons crema (or sour cream), 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon lime zest, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, garlic, 2 tablespoons cotija, 1 tablespoon cilantro and ⅛ teaspoon paprika together in a large bowl; whisk until well combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the crema mixture in a small bowl. Add the pasta-corn mixture to the remaining crema mixture in the large bowl; toss to combine. Transfer to a platter or bowl. Drizzle with the reserved 2 tablespoons crema mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cotija, 1 tablespoon cilantro and ⅛ teaspoon paprika.
