Ayyyeeee! This pasta was SO SO good.
I will admit that it’s a teeny bit indulgent but tastes delicious and it’s something that surprisingly doesn’t feel super heavy and I think that it having no meat helps a lot with that.
This week has been full of food shoots and getting everything done and ordered for our kitchen renovation, which I’m going to tell you about TOMORROW! WOOHOO.
Before I do that though, I wanted to give you this late-summer recipe because I feel like corn has been so delicious this year. If you’ve had Mexican street corn before (also known as elote) then you know that it is delicious. It’s super simple with ingredients that complement each other so very well.
This is similar to that except with…pasta, which makes it very different and not traditional at all but still so tasty.
I've been kinda sneaky about the kitchen renovation because I didn't want to curse it. I’m super superstitious and didn't want anything to go wrong. But Monday the general contractor and his workers are showing up so it's happening.
I couldn't be more excited about the outcome! More soon!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 ears of corn husks and silk removed
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- Salt
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 pound pasta I used spaghetti
- ¾ cup reserved pasta water
- 4 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese plus more as garnish
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 bunch of cilantro stems removed, minced
Instructions
- To a medium to large skillet or Dutch oven, set over medium heat, add the butter. When melted, add the corn kernels, shallot and garlic. Cook until the shallot has softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cayenne, salt and heavy cream; cover the pot to cook for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (mine took about 8 to 9 minutes). Scoop out about 1 cup of pasta water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- To the corn mixture, add ¾ cup reserved pasta water, juice from 1 lime and mix. Cook until warmed, about 1 minute. Add the pasta, the crumbled cotija cheese and toss until combined. If you need to, add a bit more pasta water or cream. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking (it should be ok!).
- Divide amongst bowls or plates and garnish with a bit more cotija cheese and some leaves of cilantro.
Nutrition
Christina says
Adrianna, I swear that you had an elote pasta salad posted on the site (with bowtie pasta) but now I can't find it. Am I losing my mind? Can I adjust this recipe to serve cold?
Ivette says
This is an amazingly creative way to enjoy the street food classic. Thank you so much for the recipe, it was absolutely delicious.
Rachael says
I’ve been following you for years and have made many of your recipes. I’m not normally one to comment, but I just had to post something for this recipe. I made it for dinner tonight and found it to be so fresh tasting and incredibly creative. I love elote but I think I love it in pasta form even more. I will be making this pasta for years to come! Thanks for the amazing recipe!