August 1, 2013

Mexican Corn Pasta Salad

This salad was absolutely delicious.  "The Mr." made the best Mexican-style chicken marinade.  He is the "marinade master" and this was the best one he had come up with yet.  Too bad I didn't pay attention to what he did.  I'll see if I can get it out of him to share with you guys.  Anyway, we grilled some chicken on the George Foreman and served alongside this awesome salad and it was such a bright and fresh meal.  

This pasta salad is loaded with fresh corn, chopped cilantro, Feta cheese, Parmesan cheese and it is all lightly coated in a chili mayonnaise.  I used light Mayonnaise and it actually felt like I was eating a somewhat "healthy" meal.  It wasn't heavy at all.  

I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day and it was even better!
Mexican Corn Pasta Salad
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

8 oz. radiatore pasta

Dressing 
2/3 c. Mayonnaise (I used light)
zest of 1/2 a lime
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika, opt.

Salad
3 c. corn (3-4 ears corn)
1/2 c. Feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. green onions, chopped
2 Tbl. cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced, opt.
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse.  Rinsing the pasta will keep the noodles from sticking together.  Set aside and allow to cool and dry completely.  Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Cut the kernals off the ears of corn and add to the hot skillet.  Saute for a few minutes or until tender; set aside to cool.  Mix together all of the dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.  

When the pasta is cool and dry, add the cooked corn, Feta cheese, grated Parmesan, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro and diced avocado.  Add the dressing and fold all of the ingredients together until everything is coated with sauce.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Garnish with more chili powder and serve.  Serves: 4-6  

Jenn's Notes:  You could always use canned corn if you would like and skip the cooking part.  I did not add avocado to my salad.   


Slightly adapted from: Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

3 comments:

  1. Yummy! This looks great! Corn sounds terrific on a pasta salad.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your pasta salad looks so good!!!! The corn sounds delicious in this. I LOVE pasta salads and potato salads in the summertime, and love finding new ones to try! Thanks for sharing your recipe, this looks so good!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This pasta salad looks and sounds fantastic!! Love the corn in this!

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