Don’t know what to make for a potluck, Cinco de Mayo, or for dinner? Try this recipe for Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad. It is filled with flavor from a variety of vegetables making it healthy, gluten-free, vegetarian and delicious.

This is by far one of my favorite recipes that I like to make for a summer BBQ especially when my cherry tomatoes are fresh off the vine from our garden. It’s just tastes so much better when the tomatoes are fresh. You can make it as a side dish and pair it with just about anything or you can have it as a main entree which I like to do sometimes. It only takes about 25 minutes to make and will be the recipe everyone will be asking for. 

Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad 

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 15 oz. cans corn, drained or kernels cut from 4-5 ears of fresh corn on the cob
• 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni, uncooked (certified gluten free if necessary)
• ¼ cup red onion (can sub with green onion)
• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and stems removed, minced
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup black beans
• ½ cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled
• 1 large avocado, seed removed, chopped

Sauce Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Sriracha with good results)
• Pinch of cumin
• Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil a medium pot of water on the stove and cook pasta until al dente according to the package directions. Drain and rinse in a colander under cold water. Set the colander over a bowl and allow the pasta to continue to drip dry while preparing next steps. 

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. After the skillet part is completely heated through (about 5 minutes), add half of the corn so it’s in a single layer. Allow the corn to slightly char for about 5 minutes. Then, brown the remainder of the corn using the same process.

Place the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and combined. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.

In a large bowl, add cooled and dry pasta, charred corn, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, black beans, cheese and fresh avocado.

Pour on dressing and toss to combine. Immediately serve.

Notes:
*If you are preparing this salad in advance, add the dressing and fresh avocado immediately before serving.
*Also, I would not sub the mayo for anything else. I tried plain Greek yogurt and it doesn’t work well!

How to Make Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad

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Mexican Street Corn Macaroni Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 15 oz. cans corn, drained or kernels cut from 4-5 ears of fresh corn on the cob
• 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni, uncooked (certified gluten free if necessary)
• ¼ cup red onion (can sub with green onion)
• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and stems removed, minced
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup black beans
• ½ cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled
• 1 large avocado, seed removed, chopped

Sauce Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Sriracha with good results)
• Pinch of cumin
• Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Boil a medium pot of water and cook pasta until al dente according to package directions.
2. Drain and rinse in a colander under cold water.
3. Set colander over a bowl and allow the pasta to continue to drip dry while preparing next steps.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
5. After skillet is completely heated through (about 5 minutes), add half of the corn so it’s in a single layer.
6. Allow it to slightly char, about 5 minutes. Then, brown the remainder using the same process.
7. Place the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and combined. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.
8. In a large bowl, add cooled and dry pasta, charred corn, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, black beans, cheese and fresh avocado.
9. Pour on dressing and toss to combine.
10. Immediately serve.

Notes

*If preparing this salad in advance, add dressing and fresh avocado immediately before serving.

*Also, I would not sub the mayo for anything else. I tried plain Greek yogurt and it doesn’t work well!