Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

Because plain ol' pasta salad is for amateurs.

By: Devon L Kroesche, Social Media Intern

Confession: As a lifelong vegetarian, my favorites at any BBQ is always the SIDES. This Fourth of July, my plate was piled up with two of my go-to's, pasta salad and corn on the cob. Of course, this inspired me to combine the two into a creative side dish that will impress all of your fellow BBQ goers.

For this dish, I used Banza cavatappi pasta, but feel free to switch it up. I'm a big fan of chickpea pasta for the slow digesting carbohydrates and higher protein content, but whole grain pasta is also a great option. And you don't have to use cavatappi pasta either. Macaroni, elbow, and rigatoni all do very well in pasta salad.

What You'll Need:

• 5 ears of corn, or 2.5 cans
• one box of Banza cavatappi pasta, cooked and cooled
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 cup cojita cheese (alternative option: queso fresco)
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 green onions
• 3 jalapenos, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

What to Do:

• If using ears of corn, boil for around 5 minutes in salty water. Allow to cool and then cut kernels off the cob.
• Cook pasta al dente and set aside to cool.
• In a medium sized bowl, combine mayonnaise and Greek yogurt until evenly mixed.
• In a large bowl, combine corn, pasta, red onion, green onion and jalapenos.
• Add mayonnaise-Greek yogurt mixture and mix until even.
• Add lime juice, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt and black pepper.
• Top with Cojita cheese and cilantro. Serve chilled.

Other optional add-on's: black beans, diced cucumber or tomato, avocado. Get creative!