Mexican Street Corn Pasta

There's something about the smell of corn charring in a hot skillet that instantly transports me to a summer evening at a street vendor's cart in Mexico City. I watched someone toss corn kernels with lime, cheese, and chili, and thought: what if this became pasta? The result was golden, creamy, and absolutely addictive—a dish that tastes like standing outside on a warm night with sauce-covered fingers and zero regrets.

I made this for a potluck on a Thursday night when everyone was exhausted, and watching people actually stop talking to eat more of it felt like winning an award. A friend asked for the recipe before she'd even finished her plate, and I realized I'd accidentally created something people genuinely crave.

Ingredients

• 340 g short pasta (penne, rotini, or shells): These shapes trap the creamy sauce beautifully and catch pockets of charred corn; choose whatever you have, but the ridges really do make a difference.
• 2 cups corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned): Fresh corn in summer is magical, but frozen works just as well and honestly saves your hands from the silk struggle.
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter: This browns the corn and builds flavor; don't skip it or substitute with oil—the butter brings richness that matters.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced: Mince it fine so it disappears into the sauce rather than surprising you with chewy pieces.
• 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp ground cumin: These spices are what make this feel like street corn and not just a regular pasta dish; taste as you go and adjust to your heat preference.
• 120 ml sour cream and 60 ml mayonnaise: The combination creates a sauce that's creamy without being heavy; sour cream adds tang that keeps it from feeling one-note.
• Zest and juice of 1 lime: Don't just use the juice—the zest is where the brightness lives, and it's the secret ingredient that ties everything together.
• 60 g cotija cheese, crumbled: It's salty and crumbly in a way that regular parmesan just isn't; if you can't find it, feta works in a pinch.
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro: Chop it right before you need it so it stays bright green and doesn't turn dark and sad in the fridge.

Instructions

Get the pasta started:

Boil a pot of well-salted water—it should taste like the sea—and cook your pasta to al dente, which means it still has a tiny bit of resistance when you bite it. Before draining, grab about half a cup of that starchy water; it's liquid gold for loosening the sauce later.

Char the corn until it's golden:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and let it foam slightly before adding the corn. Let it sit undisturbed for a minute so it develops those caramelized edges that taste like summer, then stir and keep going for another few minutes until most kernels have turned golden.

Build the spice foundation:

Once the corn is charred, add minced garlic, chili powder, paprika, and cumin, stirring constantly for about a minute until the kitchen smells incredible. You'll know it's ready when the spices are fragrant enough to stop and breathe in deeply.

Create the creamy sauce:

In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, crumbled cotija, and cilantro until smooth. Taste it and season with salt and pepper, remembering that the cotija is already salty, so go easy at first.

Bring it all together:

Add the drained pasta and charred corn mixture to the sauce and toss until every strand is coated. If it feels too thick, splash in some of that reserved pasta water a little at a time until it flows like you want it to.

Finish with flavor:

Serve immediately while everything is warm, topping each bowl with extra cotija, a shake of chili powder or Tajín, fresh cilantro leaves, and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

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My roommate came home to the smell of this cooking and just stood in the kitchen for a minute without saying anything, which is the highest compliment. That's when I knew this recipe had crossed from 'sounds interesting' to 'why aren't we making this every week?'

Why Charred Corn Makes All the Difference

The moment butter hits hot metal and corn starts to sizzle, something chemical and delicious happens. Those golden edges aren't just prettier—they're concentrated flavor, a bit of sweetness with an almost nutty depth that boiled corn could never give you. I've tried this recipe with pale corn and with deeply charred corn, and the difference is the entire soul of the dish. Your pan gets hot enough that you might worry you're burning things, but you're not; you're building something worth the slight risk.

The Lime-and-Cotija Equation

This pasta lives in the tension between salt and acid. The cotija is aggressively salty and slightly tangy, while the lime is bright and cutting, and together they prevent the creamy sauce from ever feeling heavy or one-dimensional. I once made this without fresh lime zest (used only juice) and it tasted flat, like something was missing but I couldn't name it. The zest carries essential oils that juice alone cannot deliver, so don't skip that microplane step even though it feels like extra work.

Storage and Serving Ideas

This pasta is best served warm right from the skillet, but it keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to three days and tastes surprisingly good at room temperature the next day, which makes it unexpectedly excellent for lunch. I've learned to store leftovers without the cilantro and lime wedges, adding those fresh elements when I reheat or serve cold, because they lose their brightness after a night in the fridge.

• If reheating, add a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce before warming gently on the stove.
• Make it a salad by tossing it with extra lime juice and serving it chilled on a bed of greens.
• Double the recipe and use half for a crowd, because people always ask for seconds and thirds.

Save

This is the kind of recipe that stays in your rotation once you make it, the one you text friends about and cook for people you want to impress without them knowing it took almost no effort. Keep it close.

Recipe FAQs

→ What type of pasta works best?

Short pasta shapes like penne, rotini, or shells hold the sauce well and complement the textures.

→ Can I use frozen corn instead of fresh?

Yes, frozen or canned corn kernels work great; just sauté them to bring out extra flavor.

→ How can I add more heat to the dish?

Include diced jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce, and garnish with extra chili powder or Tajín.

→ Is cotija cheese essential for flavor?

Cotija adds a salty tang, but feta can be a fitting substitute if cotija isn't available.

→ Can this be made gluten-free?

Absolutely; simply swap regular pasta with your preferred gluten-free variety.