Creamy Street Corn Pasta Delight
All the flavors of Mexican street corn meet a silky, tangy sauce tossed with tender pasta—creamy, zesty, and loaded with charred corn, cotija, and fresh herbs.
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Servings:
Calories: 120kcal
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 12 ounce short pasta (shells, rotini, or cavatappi)
- 3 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen, thawed
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pepper jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
- 0.5 cup sour cream
- 0.25 cup mayonnaise
- 0.25 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon lime juice fresh
- 0.75 cup cotija cheese, crumbled plus more for serving
- 0.25 cup cilantro, chopped
- 0.25 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 cup reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just al dente according to package directions. Reserve 0.5 cup pasta water, then drain.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the jalapeño and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, heavy cream, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
- Add the hot drained pasta and charred corn mixture to the bowl. Toss to coat, drizzling in reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce is glossy and clings to the pasta.
- Fold in 0.5 cup of the cotija, along with the cilantro and green onions. Taste and adjust lime, salt, and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm, topped with the remaining cotija and extra cilantro. Add a sprinkle of chili powder if desired.
Notes
Use fresh summer corn for best char and sweetness; frozen works well when thawed and patted dry. For extra heat, keep some jalapeño seeds or add a pinch of cayenne. This dish is vegetarian and great warm or at room temperature.