Elote Inspired Pasta Salad

I love the flavors of Elote - a Mexican street corn dish that consists of corn on the cob, slathered in a creamy sauce and then sprinkled with cheese, chili powder and cilantro. Here, I used some flavor components of Elote (mayo, lime, chili powder, cotija) to make a veggie pasta salad!! I love using inspiration from different dishes that I enjoy eating- it's so fun to figure out a way to combine my favorite flavor combos with pasta. :)

The recipe makes enough for 6-8 side dish servings, if you're planning on making for a large gathering you could definitely double it. It does refrigerate well, so you can def make it a day ahead of time. If making ahead of time, I suggest leaving out about 1/4 cup of the dressing and tossing it into the pasta salad right before serving. It brings it back to life and tastes better/more fresh this way!

What you need:
For the dressing

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
• 3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice (about one lime)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

For the pasta salad

• 1 lb cooked and cooled pasta of choice
• 4 ears of corn
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cotija cheese
• 1 handful of cilantro - as much/as little as you prefer!
• optional: tajin and black pepper for topping

What to do:

1. ​Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once it's finished cooking, rinse with cold water to cool. (If you don't salt your pasta water, then the finished dish won't taste the same due to unseasoned pasta, and may require a dusting of sodium.)
2. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and cook them in a skillet with a little bit of oil or butter, until they are bright yellow and juicy. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Combine the pasta salad dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. I like to taste test with a tortilla chip here, and adjust if needed.
4. Add the cold pasta, corn, onion, jalapeño, cotija cheese and cilantro to a bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Gently mix until the dressing is dispersed throughout the pasta and veggies.
5. Top with more cheese, cilantro leaves, and optional tajin/black pepper. Serve immediately at room temp or chill in the fridge and eat within a couple of days.