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Mexican Pasta Salad

    🌽🎉🍅 This is an EASY and super TASTY recipe for Mexican Pasta Salad with corn, cherry tomatoes, cotija cheese, green onions, and cilantro that’s all tossed in a slightly spicy chili-lime dressing! The ingredients are very flexible based on what you have on hand. Perfect for lighter summer meals, as a side dish for backyard barbecues, picnics, potlucks, and more.

    Easy Mexican Pasta Salad Recipe

    Don’t let Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, or Labor Day pass you by this year without making this easy Mexican-inspired pasta salad recipe!

    • Al dente cooked pasta is tossed with a variety of veggies including corn, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, green onions, and cilantro.
    • I also add a half cup of cotija cheese which is a dry cheese with lots of flavor. In Mexican cooking, it’s what Parmesan cheese is in Italian cooking. If you don’t have it, Parm will work in a pinch.
    • To add some mild heat (that’s very controllable based on your preferences), I toss everything in a dressing spiced with chili, cumin, red pepper flakes. and scented with lime juice. It really lends south-of-the-border vibes.
    A wooden spoon holds a serving of rotini pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, corn, cilantro, and creamy dressing over a wooden bowl.

    Ingredients in Mexican Corn Pasta Salad and No-Mayo Dressing

    Pasta Salad

    • Dry pasta: I suggest rotini, fusilli, farfalle (bowtie), wheels, small shells, or small elbow macaroni. Short-shaped pasta works best in pasta salads.
    • Veggies: I used corn, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and seeded jalapenos, but you really can go crazy here! Bell peppers of any color, cucumber or English cucumber, other chile peppers for more heat such as serrano chiles, and more.
    • Fresh cilantro + cotija cheese: These really add authentic Mexican flavor inspiration. If you can’t find cotija cheese, finely grated Parmesan cheese may be used.
    • Want to add more protein?: Go for it by draining and rinsing a can of black beans, or add some leftover shredded chicken, or even some crumbled bacon bits.
    Chopped cilantro, tomatoes, green onions, and jalapeño on a wooden cutting board with a knife, bowl of oil, wooden juicer, and halved lime.
    Bowls of rotini pasta, corn, grated cheese, and yogurt are arranged on a white surface with tomatoes, lime, fresh herbs, green onions, and several small dishes of spices.

    Chili-Lime Dressing

    • Greek yogurt: I tried to keep this pasta salad healthier and didn’t use any mayonnaise in the dressing. Wondering about mayo or sour cream? If you prefer to use sour cream + mayonnaise, use 1/4 cup of each and omit the Greek yogurt. Or for an extra creamy dressing, add a dollop of mayo to your Greek-yogurt based dressing. Dressing is very flexible in pasta salad recipes so feel free to play around with it.
    • Seasonings and spices: To taste, use chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and thin out your dressing with lime juice.

    Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

    How To Make Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing

    1. Boil the pasta according to package directions, drain, and place into a large bowl.
    2. While the pasta cooks, chop the veggies and place them in the bowl.
    3. Make the dressing by whisking together all the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl.
    4. When the pasta is in the bowl with the chopped vegetables, pour the dressing over the top, toss to coat, taste, and make any necessary flavor adjustments.
    5. You can serve the pasta salad immediately, or allow it to chill for an hour or two in the fridge before serving.
    A white bowl with yogurt, olive oil, and various ground spices, including cumin and paprika, with a wooden spoon. Fresh vegetables and herbs surround the bowl.
    A white bowl filled with a creamy, light brown sauce is being mixed with a spatula; cilantro, jalapeños, lime, and cherry tomatoes surround the bowl.
    A bowl of rotini pasta with corn, chopped green onions, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño, and grated cheese, with a wooden spoon, surrounded by fresh vegetables.
    A plate of creamy rotini pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, corn, jalapeno slices, and fresh herbs, surrounded by lime wedges, green onions, and fresh cilantro on a wooden table.
    A wooden spoon scooping a serving of rotini pasta salad with corn, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, cilantro, and a creamy dressing from a decorative plate.
    A plate of rotini pasta salad mixed with cherry tomatoes, corn, cilantro, and creamy dressing sits on a wooden plate.

    what to serve with pasta salad

    A bowl of Mexican pasta salad with rotini, corn, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and a creamy dressing, presented on a decorative plate. Text overlay reads
    A wooden spoon serves rotini pasta salad mixed with corn, cherry tomatoes, and herbs on a decorative plate, under a banner reading
    A bowl of rotini pasta salad with corn, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro, shown with the text

    Storage + Make-Ahead

    In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Do not freeze.

    Make Ahead: If you’re making this for an event or party and want to get a head start, feel free to make the Mexican corn pasta salad the day before, cover tightly and refrigerate it until your event and serve.

    Meal Prep: In general, pasta salads keep very well so they’re a good meal prep option if you want to make a batch and divide it into containers and keep them refrigerated for easy grab-and-go work or school lunches.

    A bowl of rotini pasta salad with corn, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and creamy dressing labeled as
    A plate of rotini pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, corn, green herbs, and a creamy dressing, labeled
    A plate and a wooden spoon filled with Mexican pasta salad made with rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado, and cilantro.

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    Pasta Salad

    • 8 ounces small-shaped pasta, cooked (about 2 1/2 cups dry pasta; rotini, fusilli, wheels, small shells, small elbow macaroni, etc. )
    • 2 cups corn, (optionas: canned that’s been drained and rinsed, frozen that’s been thawed and drained, or fresh corn that’s been boiled or grilled and shaved)
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved if desired (grape tomatoes may be substituted or your favorite tomatoes)
    • ½ cup cotija cheese, finely shredded or crumbled (finely grated Parmesan is the closest common substitution)
    • 3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
    • ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced very finely; or to taste (if you’re sensitive to heat, leave this out or reduce the quantity to 1/2 to 1 tablespoon or as desired)
    • 3-4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely minced; or to taste

    • Pasta Salad – Boil pasta according to package directions, and when done, rinse with cold water, drain well, and add to a large bowl (that the veggies, cheese, cilantro will be in).

    • While the pasta is cooking, chop all the veggies, and add everything including the corn, cherry tomatoes, cheese, green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro to the large bowl that you’ll add the cooked pasta into.

    • Dressing – To a medium bowl, add all the ingredients, whisk well to combine, taste, and make any necessary flavor adjustments. Tip – I prefer this to be a bit spicier so go heavier on the chili powder and red pepper flakes but it’s all personal preference.

    • Combine – Pour the dressing over the pasta salad ingredients, toss well to combine and coat, and make any final flavor adjustments. Flavor Tips – You’re flavoring a lot of ingredients and I tend to add more salt and pepper, and if you’re craving heat add red pepper flakes, a dash of cayenne pepper; if you’re craving more smoky a bit of smoked paprika is great. You can either serve the pasta salad immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate it to chill it before serving.

    Storage: Pasta salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve chilled or at room temp. Do not freeze this salad. It can be assembled up to 24 hours and kept in the fridge if you want to make it in advance of an event to save time on the day-of. 

    Serving: 1serving, Calories: 373kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 828mg, Potassium: 518mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 834IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 162mg, Iron: 2mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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