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With a delicious pairing of pasta and butter beans, my Mexican street corn pasta salad is my ideal meal prep. Whip it up in just 20 minutes and have high protein lunch or dinner for the whole week! It tastes like Mexican street corn…but in meal form!
save this recipe!It can be difficult to prepare meal-prep lunches that taste good all week. But after many late nights eating street corn from taco trucks, I knew I had the solution…street corn and pasta in a jar (reminiscent of the incredibly practical styrofoam cup my favorite street corn is served in).
not your average pasta salad
- Greek Yogurt: Instead of using all mayonnaise, I’ve added Greek yogurt to make the salad healthier and pack in a bit more protein.
- Baby Pasta: I have a real issue with pasta salads that are difficult to get a bit of everything at once. I’ve eliminated this issue by using a small pasta, ditalini pasta, in this case.
Reader rating
“Made this for our lunches this week, we loved it! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 😋” —Megan
Meal Prep It!
This pasta salad is so delicious as a vegetarian meal prep. Like my tempeh taco salads in a jar, the trick to layering salads is to put the dressing on the bottom to prevent the veggies from getting soggy.
for the dressing you’ll need:
All the ingredients for this salad are easy to find in the store. And if you can’t find ditalini pasta, I’ve included other small pasta you can use instead. This is just an overview; jump to the recipe card for full measurements!
- Creamy Base: For the dressing base, you’ll need plain Greek yogurt and mayonnaise.
- Lime Juice: This adds tang and that essential brightness to the street corn salad.
- Spices: To season the pasta salad, grab salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
for the pasta salad, grab:
- Ditalini Pasta: This is a round, hollow pasta with plenty of space to be filled with the delicious sauce. If you can’t find this one, you can also use mini shells or star pasta.
- Butter Beans: I prefer these because of their soft texture and mild flavor, but canned beans will also work.
- Corn: Any canned corn works just fine. In the summer, I will grill corn and use fresh kernels.
- Greens: For a bit of crunch and punch, I like adding green onions and cilantro.
- Cotija Cheese: This is like crumbled queso meets feta. Its saltiness is the perfect complement to the salad’s acidic and bright flavors. If you can’t find it, feta is a good swap!
more flavor boosters
This salad is great because you can customize it. Feel free to add avocado if serving it right away. Or, swap the butter beans with black beans. You can also add diced jalapeno for heat and grill the corn for a bit of smokiness. And as with any great street corn, tajin chili lime seasoning on top!
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Jars
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp each garlic powder and cayenne pepper
Pasta Salad
- 8 oz uncooked ditalini pasta
- 1 tsp olive oil, 5 mL
- 2 15-oz cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 15-oz cans corn, drained well
- 4 green onions, sliced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ⅓ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- Optional: sprinkle of chili lime seasoning, like tajin
Instructions
- Pasta: Cook 8 oz uncooked ditalini pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain then transfer back to the pot. Toss with 1 tsp olive oil to prevent sticking, then let it cool while you prepare everything else.
- Sauce: Stir together all Sauce ingredients.
- Assemble: Either toss everything together in a large bowl, or meal prep it in jars.To meal prep, spoon Sauce evenly into 4 large (32-oz) mason jars. Evenly divide ingredients into the jars in this order: beans, corn, pasta, green onions, cilantro, and cheese (sprinkle with optional tajin). Close lids and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. To serve, dump the contents of a jar into a bowl and stir!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Made this for our lunches this week, we loved it! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 😋
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit, Megan! 😀
Great recipe, but the format of the website is a bit messed up on my computer screen! lol
Would you mind sending us a screenshot so we can see what you mean? sarah@liveeatlearn.com 🙂
I’m obsessed with this recipe. It’s so simple and delicious! It made 4 huge servings that I thought would definitely be too large for one person to eat in one sitting… but I surprised myself each time by finishing off the jar! It’s shockingly light for pasta. Or maybe it’s just too tasty to quit eating…
YAY! So happy it was a hit, Beth! Enjoy! 😀
I always look for the nutritional information, but if it isn’t listed I move on. Both my husband and I have limitations, so I really appreciate the information.
Thanks so much for pointing out that was missing, Meegan! I’ve just added it 🙂
Love this recipe! I’ve made a few times and it keeps really well. Before adding to jars, I like to blister (or blacken? Unsure of term) the corn in a pan. Also added some green chilies I had in a can lying around which were great also!
That’s such a great idea! So happy to hear you loved the recipe, Allie 😀
Is the nutritional information per serving or for the entire recipe? If it’s per serving, 822 calories is high.
Hi Lauren! Yes, the nutrition information is per serving. I know it’s a bit high, but the servings are also quite large with this one. A serving is more intended as a main dish, but if you’re serving it on the side, you could definitely get away with a serving being half of what is recommended.
800 calories for one serving?!? Is that a typo??
Hi Zoe! It’s not a typo, however the servings are very large (a large jar). Realistically, most people will probably eat half of a jar 🙂
Wow! For something so simple to assemble, this packs a lot of flavor! I made these in mason jars to take on a car trip and they were a perfect quick dinner. My son loved it too.
You just made my day Kelly, enjoy!
Yummy 😋
It was so delicious! I added Parmesan instead of the other cheese and a little mozzarella. I couldn’t find that pasta so I used the heat and eat pasta. I had Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning and lots of black pepper. Saves on time. I’ll be making this again!
I’m so thrilled to hear that the recipe was a hit, Dena! Happy eating!
SO good! I love the way the flavors come together in this dish. It checks all the boxes: creamy, zesty, and high protein. A new favorite for sure.
Yay! So happy to hear that you loved it, Marilyn. Enjoy!
Just wondered if the nutritional info is per serving or for the entire dish. Thx
The nutritional information is per serving; that said, the servings are quite large and are meant more to be the main dish. If serving it as a side dish, you could easily make each serving two!