Instant Pot Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad is a delicious summer side salad that's even easier to make when you cook the pasta in the pressure cooker. It's perfect for potlucks, picnics and holiday parties!
Mexican street corn pasta salad is basically street corn in a bowl. It's loaded with charred corn kernels, peppers, Cotija cheese and pasta shells and mixed with a creamy dressing made with a blend of mayonnaise, sour cream and a touch of lime. If you like street corn but hate the mess, you'll love this easy pasta salad!
I made this easy pasta salad on a whim over Memorial Day weekend. I had planned on making the usual Instant Pot Mexican street corn, but we could not find corn-on-the-cob anywhere! Note to self -- plan way ahead next time!
It would have been easy to just leave corn off the menu, but we were grilling up some tequila lime chicken and zucchini. So, I thought street corn would be the perfect side for that. And seriously, you guys, I really wanted a margarita to go with it all!
How to make Instant Pot Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
What makes this Mexican street corn pasta salad different from other pasta salads is you cook the pasta in the Instant Pot instead of boiling it. I know many people think the Instant Pot is only for stews and soups and cold-weather comfort food, but you can really use it anytime. I definitely love making easy Instant Pot recipes all year long!
So first, you cook the pasta in the pressure cooker. And while that's cooking, you brown some corn on the stove.
You can definitely cut grilled corn kernels off of the cob if you want to be traditional and all that, but like I said, I didn't have corn-on-the-cob to work with. Besides, this method is so much quicker!
When the pasta is done, empty it into a large bowl, and add the cooked corn to the pasta. Then, add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and refrigerate until you're ready to serve the pasta salad.
This recipe for Instant Pot pasta salad makes a lot of pasta salad. You can definitely feed a crowd here! And if you don't have a crowd to feed, you can munch on the leftover pasta salad all week long!
Looking for more Instant Pot summer side dishes?
Recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Instant Pot Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 1 pound medium shell pasta, uncooked
- 4 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For the Salad
- 1 pound frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 large lime, juice of
- ½ cup Cotija cheese
- 2 Anaheim peppers, seeded and chopped
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or chili powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the pasta
- Pour uncooked shells into the Instant Pot, and add the water and sea salt
- Cover, and turn valve to sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes
- When time is up, do a quick release, and hit CANCEL
- When pin drops, uncover, and carefully remove pasta to a large bowl
For the salad
- Cook the corn kernels with the olive oil over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until slightly charred
- Add corn to the bowl of pasta, then add remaining ingredients, and mix well
- Season with sea salt and pepper, if desired, to taste
- Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until ready to serve
Notes
Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.
Nutrition
My family loved this easy Instant Pot Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
I love this pasta salad (mostly because I looooove Mexican street corn)! This will be a hit for so many get togethers this summer!
Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling says
Love all things Mexican Street Corn! This is so perfect for summer!
Dee says
Thanks, Cathy! It's now one of our favorite summer salads. 🙂
Krista says
I love what you can do in an instant pot! I love this salad!
Dee says
Thanks, Krista! I'd be lost without my IP.
I Heart Naptime says
What a delicious instant pot recipe!
Jen says
This might just become my new go-to side dish for summer! Sound so full of flavor and super easy to make in an Instant Pot.
Dee says
It's super easy to make! Thanks, Jen. 🙂
Anna says
Loving this pasta salad idea for summer! So easy made in the IP!
Amanda says
This was such an amazing dish everyone loved it !!
Dee says
So glad to hear you liked it! Thanks! 🙂