Mexican Street Corn Pasta Recipe
User Reviews
4.9
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Recipe
Description
This recipe starts by cooking pasta until just tender, then mixing it with a savory blend of ingredients that echo Mexican street food flavors. Bacon is cooked until crisp and crumbled, its rendered fat used to sauté corn and green onions with chili powder, delivering a slightly smoky and spicy base. Black beans and cherry tomatoes add texture and mild sweetness, warmed through before incorporating sour cream and mayonnaise to form a creamy, tangy sauce. Fresh lime juice brightens the dish, and crumbled queso fresco contributes a salty, slightly tangy creaminess. Chopped cilantro scattered throughout adds fresh herb notes that enhance the overall taste.
The dish balances creamy, smoky, spicy, and fresh flavors, with varied textures from tender pasta, crisp bacon bits, and juicy tomatoes. It can be prepared with thawed frozen corn for convenience, or canned or fresh corn if preferred.
This pasta is great as a main or side dish that brings a Mexican street food twist to familiar ingredients. It suits casual meals where bold flavor combinations are appreciated.
Using thawed frozen or canned corn is convenient and maintains appropriate moisture and sweetness.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta gluten-free, if needed, dry
- 4 trips Bacon
- 3 cups corn (see notes)
- 4 green onions chopped (Greens and whites separate)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt sea salt
- 15 ounce black bean drained and rinsed, canned
- 2 cups cherry tomato halves
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ cup queso fresco crumbled, or feta cheese
- ¼ cup lime juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until crispy. Remove from the pan and crumble when it's cool enough to touch.
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon oil from the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high then add the corn and stir so that it is coated in the oil then let it cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, or until some of the kernels become golden on the bottom. Add the white and light green parts of the green onions, chili powder, pepper, and salt to the pan and stir.
- Add the black beans and cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook until they're warm. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise and stir until warm, about 1 minute.
- Add the corn sauce to the pot with the pasta and add the cilantro, cheese, and lime juice. Stir well then season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. If the pasta seems a little too thick, use some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.
Notes
- Thawed frozen corn is commonly used, but canned corn (well drained) or fresh corn cut from about 4 ears can also be substituted.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water to adjust sauce consistency as needed.
- Cook bacon until very crispy and crumble it finely to distribute evenly throughout the dish.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 443 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 2 cups | |
| Calories | 443kcal | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 64g | 21% |
| Protein | 13g | 26% |
| Fat | 16g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 26mg | 9% |
| Sodium | 443mg | 18% |
| Potassium | 511mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 1196IU | 24% |
| Vitamin C | 21mg | 23% |
| Calcium | 117mg | 12% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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