This amazing Corn Pasta Salad is loaded up with fresh crisp veggies, roasted sweet corn, thick-cut bacon, and a tangy chili-lime dressing. Try my Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad for another refreshing pasta salad.
Corn Pasta Salad
Inspired by the traditional street-style Mexican corn on the cob, this street corn pasta salad will be a delicious addition to all your summer picnics and side dishes. (It pairs wonderfully with my bang bang shrimp.) So much more flavorful than the traditional pasta salad, the dressing has a little zing from the lime and a little zap from the hot sauce. To make sure every bite is better than the one before, don’t skip roasting the corn kernels. I also have a Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad you will love!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pasta: Radiatori is the perfect pasta for this salad because its ruffled, ridged shape holds onto the creamy dressing and all those tasty mix-ins like corn, avocado, and black beans. It’s sturdy, fun to eat, and soaks up flavor in every bite. Don’t have radiatori? Rotini, shells, or bowtie pasta work well too! Or, make homemade shaped pasta!
- Corn: The star of this recipe is corn. You can use fresh corn on the cob, frozen, or canned corn. Heat a large skillet and char the corn in batches, or all at once if it fits. If using corn on the cob, you can char it whole and rotate it, or cut the kernels off first for more even browning. Drained canned corn (what I used) works, too. Use whatever method you prefer!
- Bacon: I like thick-cut bacon so it doesn’t get lost in other ingredients. Cook it up nice and crispy before adding it to the salad. Check out how to bake bacon in the oven for the crispiest bacon and easy clean-up every time!
- Feta Cheese: Feta cheese is salty and tangy. And, it balances the creaminess of the dressing and avocado. If you don’t have feta cheese, try cotija, queso fresco, or shredded pepper jack.
- Black Beans: Be sure to drain and rinse black beans before adding them to the salad. If you don’t have black beans, try pinto or kidney beans.
- Chili Lime Dressing: I love this dressing—not just for this salad, but for all kinds of dishes! It’s zesty and flavorful, thanks to the fresh lime juice and chili spices, and it pairs beautifully with everything from chicken and shrimp to salmon and pork. I often make a double batch to have on hand for other salads or quick weeknight meals!
Make Ahead Tips for Corn Pasta Salad
This corn pasta salad is great for prepping ahead, making it perfect for parties, meal prep, or busy weeknights. Here’s how you can break it down:
What You Can Make Ahead
- Pasta: Cook and drain the pasta, then toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Charred Corn: Char the corn (fresh, frozen, or canned), let it cool, and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Dressing: Whisk together the dressing and keep it in the fridge in a sealed jar or container for up to 4 days. Shake or stir before using.
- Bacon, Green Onions & Cilantro: Chop and store each in separate containers. These hold well in the fridge for 1–2 days.
- Black Beans: Drain, rinse, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
What to Wait On
- Avocado: Dice the avocado just before serving to avoid browning.
- Final Assembly: Toss everything together just before serving for the best flavor and texture.
How to Store Corn Pasta Salad
You can store corn pasta salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just put it in a container with a lid to keep it fresh. If your salad has avocado in it, the avocado might turn a little brown. That’s normal! To help with that, you can press plastic wrap right on top of the salad before putting the lid on. When ready to eat the leftovers, give the salad a quick stir. You can also add a little more dressing or a squeeze of lime juice to make it taste fresh again. I do not recommend freezing this salad; it is best eaten cold or at room temperature.
More Pasta Dishes
Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups (6 ounces) radiatori noodles (or your noodle of choice)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can (15 ounces) corn kernels, drained
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
DRESSING
- ½ cup full-fat mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, approximately 2-3 limes
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the noodles, toss them with olive oil, and set them aside.
- In a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, add the corn kernels in a single layer. Heat just until slightly charred (2-3 minutes). Then, flip to char the second side. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cooked pasta, corn, avocado, green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, bacon, feta, and black beans.
- In a separate bowl, make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
I’m making this tonight, but I can tell that it’s going to be amazing by reading the ingredients list! I do have a question though. After putting it all together, do you chill it before serving?
Thank you so much! I’m so glad the ingredients caught your eye! 😊 Yes, after mixing everything together, it’s best to cover and chill the pasta salad for at least an hour before serving. This gives the flavors time to meld and makes it even more delicious. Hope you love it! (And I will update the post with that information, so sorry it wasn’t included!)
My brain thinks this is screaming for diced chicken…I think I’m looking at the photos and assuming there’s chicken in it, OMG I’m such a gourmand. This looks great!!! Gonna make it soon. Thank you! Your ideas and site are amazing!
Well, I just have today this is outstanding! I doubled the recipe today for a 4th of July party we’re having tomorrow. I grilled 8 ears of shucked corn till lightly charred and then used the kernels in the salad, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. If the pasta soaks up too much dressing overnight I’ll just whip up a little more tomorrow and mix it in right before serving. But someone has got to hold me back from eating a huge bowl of this tonight!!
Does this keep well in fridge for a few days?
Yup
Wow. What an explosion of flavors. I think that roasting the corn is the secret to making this so tasty. I had to use rotini pasta, because that’s what I had access to, and no hot sauce on hand so I used a little cayenne instead. I’ll definitely make this again.
Just wondering if there was any info with regards to calorie count.
Which hot sauce do you use?
I make this as a dip and not a pasta, but I’m going to try this. I’m gonna sub cojita cheese and Pico de gallo in place of the feta, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño.
This looks delicious. Is this supposed to be served hot or cold?
This is served cold.
Made this today and it’s delicious! I did make 2 changes for allergy reasons. The 2 changes made – I used Hellmans Vegan mayo instead of regular mayo and Violife dairy free Feta cheese instead of real feta cheese (egg and dairy allergy). You can’t taste a difference from the real thing.
I couldn’t find the recipe for the dressing
It is in the recipe card. 🙂
This was delicious and easy.
I have not tasted the salad but i’ve tasted from my seeing, this COPN PASTA SALAD looks so amazing & yummy, gonna grab it for my tummy, its look very yummy.
Great recipe! I changed the feta to shaved Parmesan because I am pregnant and cannot have soft cheeses- absolutely delicious! I also doubled the dressing recipe because I like a lot of dressing on my pasta salad. Will definitely be making again!
It’s delicious but I think maybe a little heavy on the cilantro. That’s an easy fix for the next time tho!
I made this for a group, it was a huge hit! I will definitely make it again. I used the cojita cheese.
This looks sooo good. The deliciousness keeps on delivering.
Oh, my goodness! This was just wonderful, and a delicious change to the usual side dishes for us on Mexican nights. I changed out the whole corn for frozen whole kernel corn, mixed 1/4 C. sour cream with 1/4 C. mayonnaise, and instead of using only green chilies opted for a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies instead. It was a lot of changes made for using a recipe for the first time, but it still turned out tasting terrific and the family enjoyed it. It is a recipe worth keeping that you can make as hot seasoned as you like or as mild as you want.
I just made this recipe over the weekend for a pool BBQ and it was a huge hit. I loved all of the flavors. Using the canned corn was a great trick! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Great! I’m going to try it, too!