Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad

This flavorful Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad will have everyone coming back for seconds… and thirds! Packed with pan roasted corn, bell peppers, Cotija, and tossed with olive oil and lime juice, it’s meant for make-ahead meals!

What are the ingredients in this Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad?

This recipe uses a simple blend of fresh veggies and pantry ingredients for a simply incredible pasta salad side dish. Here’s a little breakdown of the important ingredients:

• rotini pasta – I like using rotini because the dressing and finely chopped veggies catch in the grooves of the pasta! Other small shapes like bowtie would work too.
• extra virgin olive oil – A little oil is used for cooking the veggies but most of it is for the pasta salad dressing.
• unsalted butter – Cooking the veggies in a little butter adds a ton of delightful flavor with little extra work 🙂
• corn – You can cut the corn from two cobs easily. If your corn is bagged or canned, you’ll need about 2 cups.
• red bell pepper & jalapeño – This combo of a sweeter pepper and one with a little more heat is perfect.
• red onion – Cooking this mild onion brings out the sweetness and adds a ton of complex flavor to the salad.
• smoked paprika & garlic powder – This blend of seasonings adds even more flavors, plus it’s an easy way to add garlic!
• Cotija cheese – I love how salty and crumbly this cheese is. It also adds a bit of a creamy texture to the salad. Learn more about Cotija cheese here.
• cilantro – Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs but if it tastes like soap to you, feel free to skip. Otherwise, roughly chop up your cilantro and toss it in!
• limes – For some freshness and acidity to make it all come together, don’t forget the lime juice! I found with one lime I couldn’t even tell I added lime juice. Two was perfect!
• fresh ground black pepper & sea salt – To make every flavor stand out, I definitely recommend adding fresh ground black pepper and sea salt during cooking and when mixing everything together.

Equipment you’ll need to make Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad:

There are a few pieces of equipment you’ll need to make this pasta salad. Here are the items and brands I use at home:

• For a cutting board, I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). The XL size is perfect but not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat.
• For my chef’s knife, I use a Misen Chef’s Knife (affiliate link!). This knife is super high quality while being affordable. I’ve had mine for years (and there’s a lifetime guarantee!).
• For my cooking pan, you should use your 10-inch cast iron skillet (affiliate link!) or your favorite nonstick skillet. Mine is this GreenPan 12 inch Skillet (affiliate link!)!
• And some mixing bowls. These are what I used: 8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set (affiliate link!)

How to make Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad:

Call me obsessed with this pasta salad, I don’t care. I’m about to go make it again! It feels like the amount of flavor you get for such little work is almost too good to be true. (but it’s not!)

Start with the pasta and get that going so it can cook and then cool while you get the other ingredients going as well. Heat about 4 quarts of water in a large stockpot over high heat. Once boiling, add at least 1 tablespoon salt to season the water. This is the first step to infusing the pasta with as much flavor as possible.

Cook the pasta to al dente (or even a minute or two later) based on package directions. I’ve read that slightly overcooking for cold pasta salads can be okay, even helpful! Drain the pasta well in a strainer and rinse it cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside to cool while you prep the remaining ingredients.

Next, work on the veggies, which can be started while the pasta is boiling. In a large nonstick or cast iron skillet, add oil and butter then melt over medium heat. Using both oil and butter helps add the best flavor while increasing the smoke point to keep the butter from burning.

Once hot, add the corn, red bell pepper, jalapeño and red onion. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring rarely to help the veggies color. Mix in salt, smoked paprika, and garlic powder, then cook for another 10 minutes or so. These spices are prone to burning so adding them later in cooking can be helpful.

The veggies are completely cooked when they have some browning and roasted appearance. If you’re using a cast iron skillet, this coloring will probably be more pronounced than a nonstick skillet. That’s a good thing! Remove the pan from heat and set aside to start cooling.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cooked veggie mixture, crumbled Cotija, chopped cilantro, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, and a bit of fresh ground black pepper if you have it.

Stir everything together really well and then give it a taste to see if you want additional salt, pepper, or lime juice. More cilantro or Cotija can be thrown on for serving as well.

Best tips for making Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad:

Here are my best tips for making delicious pasta salad at home:

• Pay attention to the pasta as it cooks, and do a taste test before draining the water away. You want it to be cooked thoroughly but not mushy.
• Rinse the pasta with cold water when you drain it. This stops the cooking and helps bring the pasta to room temperature for our cold pasta salad.
• Taste the final dish before serving. It may need something as simple as a sprinkle of salt or pepper. If you can’t taste the lime, it may need another spritz of lime juice too.

What to serve with this Corn Pasta Salad:

This pasta salad is full of flavor and honestly tastes delicious on its own. But if you’d like to make it a full meal, here are some ideas:

• Serve with cooked shredded chicken breast or thin sliced stovetop chicken.
• Add some crispy shredded pork sliders with slaw on the side!
• Black bean tostadas sound incredible with this… BRB going to make that

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

This pasta salad recipe was meant for meal prep! No changes need to be made to the recipe for it to work as leftovers.

It tastes incredible directly from the fridge, or served at room temperature. While I think it tastes best once the flavors have had a chance to meld, it is perfectly okay to serve it immediately after cooking as well.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

No, I would not recommend freezing this recipe due to the fresh ingredients and textures involved.

How to store leftover Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to reheat Pan Roasted Corn Pasta Salad:

This is a dish best served cold or room temperature, so no need to reheat!