This Mexican street corn pasta salad takes everything you love about elote—sweet corn, creamy dressing, tangy cheese, and bold spices—and turns it into an easy, crowd-pleasing pasta salad.

This easy Mexican street corn pasta salad recipe is perfect for summer BBQs, potlucks, or an easy make-ahead side dish.

What is Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad?

Mexican street corn pasta salad is inspired by elote, a popular Mexican street food made with grilled corn, creamy sauce, cheese, lime, and spices. You all loved our Mexican street grilled corn salad so we added some pasta for a hearty, flavorful side dish.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Packed with bold Mexican street corn flavor
• Creamy, tangy, and slightly smoky
• Perfect for BBQs and potlucks
• Easy to make ahead
• Great as a side or a light main dish

Ingredients for Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

• Corn (grilled or roasted): sweet, smoky flavor (the star!)
  • TIP: Most grocery stores sell roasted corn in the freezer section which is a great shortcut!
• Butter: adds richness and helps bring out the natural sweetness of the corn
• Salt: enhances the flavor of the corn and the overall dish
• Pasta (ditalini or similar): hearty base that holds the dressing well
• Cotija Cheese: adds a salty, crumbly bite that’s classic for elote
• Avocados: add a creamy texture and fresh flavor
• Cilantro: adds a bright, herby finish
• Red Onion: adds a sharp bite and a little crunch

For the Dressing:

• Mayonnaise or Mexican Crema: adds a creamy base that coats everything evenly
• Sour Cream: adds tanginess and balances the richness
• Chili Powder: adds a mild smoky flavor and a hint of spice
• Cumin: adds warm, earthy flavor
• Lime Zest & Juice: adds brightness and a fresh citrusy kick
• Garlic: adds bold, savory depth
• Salt + Pepper: enhances and balances all the flavors

These Mexican Street Corn Chicken Rice Bowls are loaded with your favorite Mexican-inspired flavors! We start off with juicy Mexican grilled chicken, elote (Mexican Street Corn), and of course, avocado! These are quick and easy to make, perfect for healthy dinners, and everyone loves them!

My family has totally fallen in love with rice bowls lately. Our middle daughter is even working on her own version with quinoa and the most incredible lemon tahini dressing—we’ve been recipe testing like crazy! But in the meantime, this street corn chicken bowl has been on repeat all summer long.

It reminds me of those hot, busy days when you’ve been outside forever and just need something easy and satisfying for dinner. I love that everyone can build their own bowl exactly how they want it. And if you want to bump up the protein, adding cottage cheese to the street corn is such a simple little trick!

Why You’ll Love These Bowls

Quick and Easy: From start to finish, this meal takes less than 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights!

High Protein: One healthy chicken bowl contains 46 grams of protein!

Customizable: Each member of the family can create the chicken rice bowl of their dreams with all the toppings they love most.

Meal Prep: You can make the rice, chicken and street corn ahead of time, place them in meal prep containers and you’re set for lunches/dinners all week.

Bold Flavors: The chicken, the creamy elote, the pickled red onions, fresh jalapenos, cilantro and lime all come together for the most delicious bowl.

Ingredients You’ll Need

These healthy chicken bowls come together with a mix of fresh ingredients, pantry staples, and a few flavor-packed extras. Nothing complicated, just real, delicious ingredients that build those bold, creamy street corn flavors in every bite.

• Mexican Grilled Chicken Breasts: Juicy, flavorful chicken with a smoky, seasoned finish that makes this bowl extra satisfying.
• Avocados: Creamy and rich, they balance out all the bold, savory flavors perfectly.
• Cilantro: Fresh and bright, it adds that classic finishing touch to every bite.
• Black Pepper: Adds a little warmth and depth to round everything out.
• Pickled Red Onions: Tangy, slightly sweet, and just the right pop of acidity to cut through the richness.
• Lime: A squeeze of fresh lime wakes everything up and ties all the flavors together.
• Rice: The hearty base that soaks up all the flavor—use white, brown, or Read more

This VIRAL street corn ground beef sweet potato bowl is one of my family’s favorite easy dinners! Plus, it’s perfect for meal prep! We start with sweet potatoes and ground beef then pile on a Mexican street corn with cottage cheese that is the ultimate protein-packed dinner even kids will love!

OK, we all know that I am absolutely in love with Mexican Street corn in fact it is one of our top recipes on this entire website, but when I saw that everyone was combining it with those viral ground beef, high protein bowls, I knew I had to make it immediately.

I prefer to make it with real Mexican crema, but mayonnaise works as well. While a lot of recipes are just straight up cottage cheese mixed with corn, to me that does not say Mexican street corn, or elote, so I stuck the cottage cheese in the blender until perfectly smooth and creamy. And can I just give a quick little shout out to the pickled red onions. There is something about that tartness with everything else that absolutely makes the bowl, so don’t skip those!!

Ingredients You’ll Need…

Let’s talk ingredients because this high protein bowl recipe is built from simple, real foods that come together in the most delicious way.

• Sweet Potatoes: Roasted until tender with caramelized edges, these add natural sweetness and make the bowl extra filling.
• Olive Oil: Helps everything roast up golden and flavorful while adding a little richness.
• Smoked Paprika: Brings a subtle smoky depth that pairs perfectly with the sweet potatoes and beef.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances all the flavors! Don’t skip it!
• Lean Ground Beef: A high protein base that’s hearty, satisfying, and soaks up all that delicious seasoning.
• Kinder’s Carne Asada Seasoning: Adds bold, savory, slightly citrusy flavor with just the right amount of spice. It’s a super easy shortcut. You can also use taco seasoning!
• Water: Helps the seasoning coat the beef evenly and keeps it juicy.
• Avocados: Creamy, fresh, and the perfect cooling contrast to the warm, savory ingredients.
• Cilantro: Adds a bright, fresh finish that ties all the flavors together.
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