Street Corn Pasta Salad with Creamy Chipotle Ranch
Creamy, smoky, tangy, and loaded with summer flavor, this Street Corn Pasta Salad is the perfect cookout side dish. Tender pasta is tossed with corn, crispy bacon, red onion, jalapeños, cotija cheese, and a creamy chipotle ranch-style dressing made with buttermilk, sour cream, mayo, lime, garlic, and chili-lime seasoning. It’s easy to make, perfect for prepping ahead, and basically belongs at every Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or backyard BBQ spread.
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Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 restaurant-style ranch packet
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese crumbled
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon chili lime seasoning
- 1/2-1 teaspoon paprika depending on taste
Pasta Salad
- 16 oz pasta
- 2 cups corn cooked through and slightly cooled
- 5 strips bacon cooked crispy and chopped
- 1/2 red onion finely diced
- 1-2 jalapeños finely diced
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cooled, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayo, sour cream, minced garlic, ranch packet, cotija cheese, lime juice, chili lime seasoning, and paprika until creamy and combined.
- Add the cooled pasta, corn, crispy bacon, red onion, and jalapeños to the bowl with the dressing.
- Toss everything together until the pasta salad is fully coated in the dressing.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Give it a good stir before serving and top with extra cotija, bacon, cilantro, or chili lime seasoning if desired.
Notes
This pasta salad is best served chilled or slightly cool, but not straight-from-the-back-of-the-fridge cold. Letting it sit out for a few minutes before serving helps the dressing loosen up, and the flavors come through.
If making ahead, the pasta may soak up some of the dressing as it chills. Just give it a good stir before serving.
Servings: 6