ELOTE (MEXICAN STREET CORN) PASTA SALAD 😍

There’s few things better than bringing a dish to a potluck and having everyone rave about it and leaving with no leftovers. This is that dish AND more. I brought it to my friend’s house as a side for dinner, and it was gobbled up by 8 people in milliseconds (seriously, people still text me about it). Suuuper flavorful and tastes even better healthified by subbing plain yogurt for sour cream! The bacon helps imitate the smokiness you taste when you have fresh grilled Elote without having to spend an extra step grilling corn and cutting the corn off the cob (seriously who has time for that?). It’s perfect for bringing to potlucks but also tastes great the next day so perfect for prepping your meals for the week. Seriously you’re gonna wanna make this one every. single. week.

Ingredients:

For the Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Pasta Salad:

• 1 lb box of fusilli pasta (you can also use farfalle or penne)

• 12 oz package of smoked, thick cut bacon

• 12 oz package frozen corn, thawed

• 1 minced jalapeno (seeds removed)

• 2 chopped green onions (greens and whites)

• ¾ cup chopped cilantro

• 4 oz cotija cheese crumbled

For your Dressing:

• 1 cup plain yogurt

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• Juice from 2 limes

• 1-2 tbsps adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers (you can also sub for a smokey hot sauce like Tabasco Chipotle sauce)

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp chili powder

• Salt and pepper

Directions:

For the Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Pasta Salad:

• Start by cooking your pasta in salty water according to package instructions. Drain and rinse to cool.

• Cook your bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels and cut into bite sized pieces.

• Drain some of your bacon grease but keep a thin layer in your cast iron skillet for the corn.

• Add your defrosted package of corn to your bacon fat on high heat and pat down into a compact layer. Don’t move the corn! This will help it to get that charring.

• Cook for 2-3 minutes or until your corn starts popping. Move around and pat down into a thin layer again until charred. Remove from heat and cool.

• In the same bowl you’ll serve your pasta salad, mix together all dressing ingredients. Go easy on the salt because the pasta, bacon, and cotija are already pretty salty.

• Add pasta to your dressing, and add in the corn, bacon, jalapeño, green onions, cilantro, cotija cheese.

• Mix together until your dressing is well incorporated and serve!

• Makes 6-8 servings