Random Recipes With Eli: Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

I can't cook to save my life! If it doesn't come frozen or in a box with a step by step instructions then it's over my head. Lucky for me, I married a culinary genius. My husband Eli actually enjoys cooking and trying new recipes. Once a week we will post a new Random Recipes With Eli where we try something new and give you an honest review. If you want us to try out one of your recipes just send us a message, might as well subscribe while your at it!

This week we are trying Mexican Street Corn Pasta. This recipe was given to Eli by our good friend Amber. I'll go ahead and list the ingredients first, because nothing is more annoying than clicking on a recipe post and then scrolling a mile down to get to the ingredients.

Pasta Salad Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups dry macaroni 10 OZ fresh or frozen corn 1/2 Cups of Cotija Cheese 1/2 cup of red onion, diced 2 Jalapenos, chopped 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper Dressing Ingredients: 1 cup mayo 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup lime juice 2 tsp lime zest 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 Pepper

Directions: Cook the pasta according to directions or desired tenderness, drain, and then chill in the refrigerator. Mix the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Take your fresh or frozen corn and roast in a sauce pan with the garlic for 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat. Use a food processor to crumble the Cotija cheese. Prepare the rest of veggies and combine with the cooked pasta and corn and cheese. Mix in the dressing and then allow to chill before serving.

* Pro Tip: Save some of Cotija cheese crumbles to top your pasta salad and make it Extra Cheesy!

This recipe took Eli about an hour to prepare, but it was pretty simple to put together. The ingredients were not very expensive and it makes a several portions. The pasta salad it's self has a savory and zesty taste. The cilantro and lime make the first bite fresh and citrusy, but after swallowing you'll start to get the small amount of heat from the Jalapeños and cayenne paper.

The Good: This recipe would work well if you are going to a summer BBQ or family pot luck. It is packed for flavor and makes a hardy side dish to feed a lot of people.

The Bad: Due to the savory flavor and spiciness, our children would not eat this. So it's not very kid friendly. Also it took some time to prepare and it's only side dish.

Over all, we enjoyed making this fresh summer pasta salad, but since the kids wouldn't eat it, it most likely won't be something that we add to our weekly menu. Although, this is definitely a recipe to keep on hand if you need to bring a dish to pass. Because it's served cold and has that citrus flavor, this recipe makes a fun side dish for the summer season!

Let us know if you have tried this recipe or found our review helpful! Subscribe to get more Random Recipes with Eli!