Mexican Street Corn Pasta (Print Version)

Creamy pasta fusion featuring sweet corn, cotija cheese, lime, and Mexican spices for an easy weeknight meal.

# 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 - 1/2 cup sour cream
07 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
08 - 1/4 cup whole milk
09 - 1 tsp chili powder
10 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
12 - 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
13 - 1 tsp lime zest
14 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Toppings

15 - 3/4 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:

01 - Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn and sauté for 4-5 minutes until lightly charred. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, lime juice, and lime zest. Season with salt and pepper.
04 - Add the cooked pasta and sautéed corn mixture to the bowl with the sauce. Toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water as needed for a creamy consistency.
05 - Stir in half of the cotija cheese and half of the cilantro.
06 - Serve warm, garnished with remaining cotija, cilantro, extra chili powder or Tajín, and lime wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort food had a conversation with bold, unexpected flavors and decided to become best friends.
  • The whole thing comes together in under 40 minutes, which means you can feed people something impressive on a random Tuesday without stress.
  • Cotija cheese and lime create this tangy-salty magic that makes every bite feel special, not just filling.
02 -
  • Don't drain your pasta completely dry and forget about it; that starchy water is your texture insurance, so reserve it before the colander does its work.
  • Taste the sauce before combining everything because once the pasta is in, adjusting salt or lime becomes harder; better to season aggressively at the sauce stage.
03 -
  • Toast your spices separately in the butter for 30 seconds before adding corn if you want to deepen their flavor and make them taste less powdery.
  • Save the corn cobs if you're using fresh corn; they make incredible stock for other dishes, and thrifty cooking sometimes accidentally creates magic.
Go Back