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Elotes-Inspired Pasta Salad

July 30, 2019 by Molly Leave a Comment

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How are we at the end of July already?!

Wow. This summer is FLYING by.

I am always torn come this time of year because part of me never wants summer to end. Give me all the corn and tomatoes and watermelon forever. And the other part of me cannot WAIT for fall. I start craving soups and cozy baked goods and FOOTBALL.

This fall is a big one for our family. I am leaving my job of 14 years at the end of August. This is due to a great many factors, and it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but it is right for me and my family right now. I get to be home with my boys, and hopefully spend some more time dedicated to this little space. I am so looking forward to that aspect of things, but I am scared. I have been working since I was 14 years old. This will be a whole new era for me, but it’s one I think will be really great for me and for my blog. I get to be my own boss for the first time in my life, and that feels so good.

On top of that big change, Kieran starts kindergarten in September! OMG. I cannot believe I will have a 5-year-old AND a kindergartener. Holy moly. I secretly can’t wait to take him school supply shopping. It was always one of my favorite things growing up. Nothing gets me going like a fresh notebook! I’m letting my nerd flag fly right now.

All of the impending changes are exciting but very nervewracking. My anxiety has been at an all-time high lately. When I do take a moment to decompress, I remind myself to focus on the moment, the right now. And that means soaking up this next month of summer with all I’ve got!

Speaking of summer, this bowl of yum is brought to you by all the delicious seasonal produce. I love a good pasta salad (I think they are often so underrated!), and this one is my new fave.

We are big elotes (aka, Mexican street corn) fans in this house. There is NOTHING like it, and we eat it regularly in the summer. New Jersey corn is fabulous, and we have a favorite local farmstand that we go to each week, mainly for their corn. It’s the best I’ve ever had in my life.

And it makes dishes like this shine!

This pasta salad features sweet fresh corn, cotija cheese, and an addictingly tangy and creamy spiced lime dressing. It is a big bowl of yum, for sure. The pasta is actually the least exciting part here, and I basically live for carbs, so trust me when I say how good this combo of ingredients is.

I love throwing a bowl of this together and popping it in the fridge for us to snack on whenever we need a quick bite of something hearty. It goes well with just about everything. It’s an awesome side dish to any protein, but it’s also completely fabulous (and satisfying!) on its own.

It also happens to taste great warmed up. As we were working our way through this bowl, I was craving something warm. I heated a bowl of this up in the microwave and it tasted so, so good! It brought out all the great flavors even more.

And I am obsessed with these flavors!

If you need me, I’ll be here, fork deep in this bowl of awesomeness, in total denial that we only have a few weeks of summer left. Waah!

@yestoyolks ✨ELOTES-INSPIRED PASTA SALAD✨ All the flavors of elotes (aka, Mexican street corn) in a delicious pasta salad! I love making this in the summer when corn is at its peak. Spicy, a touch sweet, tangy, creamy, and completely satisfying. This is the perfect summer pasta! INGREDIENTS: For the Dressing: ¾ cup sour cream 2 tablespoons mayo Juice and zest of 2 limes 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon garlic salt ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons hot honey Pinch of red pepper flakes Salt and pepper, to taste For the Pasta: 1 lb short pasta of choice, cooked and drained 1 medium red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 ears of corn, grilled and kernels cut from cobs ¼ cup chopped cilantro ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese FULL RECIPE on yestoyolks.com! #foodtiktok #recipes #cookingvideo #cookingtiktok #recipeideas #recipesforyou #elotes #mexicanstreetcorn #pastasalad #summerrecipes ♬ Summer Time – Syafeea library

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Elotes-Inspired Pasta Salad


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  • Author: Molly
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

For the Dressing:

  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons mayo
  • Juice and zest of 2 limes
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons hot honey
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Corn:

  • 4 ears of corn, husks removed
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

For the Pasta:

  • 1 lb short pasta of choice
  • 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • The grilled corn kernels
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Instructions

For the Dressing:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
  2. Set aside.

For the Corn:

  1. Preheat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high. Rub the corn all over with olive oil and season with salt.
  2. Add the corn to the hot grill and cook, turning every 30-45 seconds, until it is lightly charred on all sides.
  3. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and then cut the grilled corn kernels off the cobs.

For the Pasta:

  1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until el dente, according to the package directions. Drain well.
  2. Add the chopped onion, garlic, grilled corn, and cilantro to the bowl with the dressing and stir to combine.
  3. Stir in the cooked and drained pasta. Stir in the cheese. Season the pasta salad, to taste, with additional salt and pepper.
  4. Eat immediately or chill for a couple hours to allow the flavors to meld. If serving later, allow the pasta salad to come to room temperature before serving.
  5. If desired, top with a little additional lime zest and chili powder before serving.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: pasta salad

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @yestoyolks on Instagram and hashtag it #yestoyolks

Related

Filed Under: Entrée, Pasta, Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: corn, cotija cheese, elotes, mexican street corn, pasta, pasta salad, side dishes, summer dishes, tomatoes, vegetarian

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