If you’re dreaming of backyard BBQs and summertime street fairs, then you are going to love my Street Corn Pasta Salad with High Protein Chili Lime Dressing. This bright and flavorful pasta salad has all of the elements of a Mexican street corn that you know and love (from the tender corn kernals to the creamy cotija cheese), but added to a bowl of perfectly-cooked pasta. Plus, the entire dish is topped off with a High Protein Chili Lime Dressing that is so good, you could practically drink it, making this one of my new favorite summertime recipes yet!
Friends, when I teased this recipe on Instagram last week, I was blown away by the number of responses that I got from you, asking for me to drop this recipe! Since I share new recipes every single day, some recipes receive more love than others. That’s just the nature of this “job.” While it does make me a little sad when I work hard on a recipe and it doesn’t get the excitement that I’d hoped it would, the recipes that do get you guys super excited? Those are the ones that make all of the “work” worth it.
Which is why I could not be more excited to share this Street Corn Pasta Salad with High Protein Chili Limb Dressing, which got hundreds of DM responses when I teased it. And to be honest, I can’t blame you. This pasta salad is loaded with all of the elements of Mexican Street Corn that you know and love: tender, perfectly-cooked, fire roasted corn, tangy cotija cheese, and of course, lots of cilantro. Plus, you can use any type of pasta that you want, which means that this pasta salad can easily be made gluten-free. While I make it with traditional rotini, and I recommend using a smaller shape, such as macaroni or penne, as always, I will recommend using what you already have. Why is that? Well, groceries are expensive these days, and if you already have an ingredient on-hand, you might as well use it instead of spending your hard-earned money on one more thing.
Plus, this pasta salad is topped off with a delicious High Protein Chili Lime Dressing that is creamy, a little spicy, and is, of course, loaded with protein. If you’ve been to my blog before, then you may know that I am all about the protein these days. It’s what helps you stay fuller, longer, and is the perfect way to boost the nutritional value of any recipe! This dressing gets its protein boost from creamy cottage cheese, but don’t knock it until you try it – it’s absolutely delicious.
What You Need to Make This Flavorful Summertime Recipe
- Cottage Cheese: When it comes to making recipes higher in protein, my favorite, not-so-secret ingredient is cottage cheese. The cottage cheese adds creaminess to dressing, without taking away from the spicy chili lime flavor.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is full of healthy fats, making it the perfect addition to this dressing.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are essential in any dressing recipe, and this one is no exception!
- Lime: You’ll need the juice and zest of one fresh lime, in order to make this recipe.
- Seasonings: To season the dressing, you’ll need a combination of smoked paprika, chili powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Yum!
- Pasta: Pick your favorite pasta and use it in this recipe! I like rotini, but any shape of pasta will work well. And if you want to make this gluten-free, then you can opt to use a gluten-free pasta!
- Fire Roasted Corn: Fire roasted frozen corn is the perfect addition to this recipe! Not only does it give this pasta salad that street corn flavor, but it also makes this recipe so simple and easy to put together.
- Green Onions: Sliced green onions add a delicious flavor to this pasta salad – don’t skip it!
- Shallot: Shallots may be small, but they’re packed with flavor. I love the addition that diced shallots add to this pasta salad recipe.
- Pickled Jalalpeño: These are optional, but if you love a spicy kick, then you will love the addition of pickled jalapeños to this recipe.
- Cilantro: Of course, no Mexican Street Corn-inspired recipe is complete without the fresh cilantro!
- Cotija Cheese: A key ingredient in Mexican Street Corn is the creamy, salty, cotija cheese. It truly wouldn’t be street corn without it, which makes it the perfect addition to this pasta salad!
How to Make This High-Protein Pasta Salad
To make this pasta salad, start by preparing the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients (the cottage cheese, olive oil, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, smoked paprika, chili powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper) to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Next, set the dressing aside and prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Once the pasta is done, rinse it with cold water and add it to a large bowl. Set it aside.
Next, heat a large skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the frozen corn and sauté it until it’s defrosted, warm, and cooked through.
Once the corn is cooked, remove it from the heat and add it to the bowl with the pasta. Next, add the sliced green onions, diced shallot, pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro, and cotija cheese to the bowl. Finally, pour the dressing on top. Toss the salad to coat well, then serve it and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 1 Cup Cottage Cheese
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Lime, juiced + zested
- 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
For the Pasta Salad:
- 12 Ounces Pasta of Choice, I like using rotini, but any shape of pasta works well!
- 1 16 Ounce Package Fire Roasted Corn, frozen
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 Green Onions, sliced
- 1 Shallot, finely diced
- ⅓ Cup Pickled Jalapeño, chopped
- ½ Cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1 Cup Cotija Cheese
Instructions
- To make this pasta salad, start by preparing the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients (the cottage cheese, olive oil, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, smoked paprika, chili powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper) to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Next, set the dressing aside and prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Once the pasta is done, rinse it with cold water and add it to a large bowl. Set it aside.
- Next, heat a large skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the olive oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the frozen corn and sauté it until it's defrosted, warm, and cooked through.
- Once the corn is cooked, remove it from the heat and add it to the bowl with the pasta.
- Next, add the sliced green onions, diced shallot, pickled jalapeños, chopped cilantro, and cotija cheese to the bowl.
- Finally, pour the dressing on top.
- Toss the salad to coat well, then serve it and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
This looks great!!! Is it possible to make the day before a refrigerate it without it getting too dry? Thanks!
This was so delicious and easy to make! I used a high protein chickpea pasta and added some cooked chicken to increase the protein even more. I loved the lime and chili flavors and put the entire thing over some spinach for some greens too. The dressing was so thick at first but I added a few tablespoons of warm water to easily thin it out more. Thanks for a keeper!
I am so happy to hear that, Liz! Thank you so much for your review!
I’ve made this twice now for an impromptu friends get-together and the adults loved it (plus my toddler who loved the sauce). The initial sauce recipe can be thick depending on what cottage cheese brand you choose, but it was fine with a little more lime juice (which I personally preferred more of for that freshness). The second time around I added black beans and avocado for more denseness and served it with salmon — super filling! Summer recipe favorite!
Thank you so much for such an insightful review, Nikki!