This oven baked 4-ingredient street corn elote pasta is the sort of happy accident that only the internet and a curious teenager can create. My granddaughter found a video of something like this, we tinkered with it in my small country kitchen, and now my husband asks for it every single week. It takes the flavors of Mexican street corn—sweet kernels, creamy mayo, tangy lime, and salty cheese—and tucks them into a cozy Midwestern baked pasta. No long list of ingredients, no fussy steps, just a bubbling dish of creamy, slightly smoky pasta that feels like a church potluck and a summer fair all in one bite.
This pasta is rich and comforting, so I like to serve it with something crisp and simple on the side—just a green salad with a light vinaigrette or sliced cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden. Warm flour tortillas or a basket of crusty bread are nice for scooping up the extra sauce. A side of black beans or pinto beans makes it feel more like a full Sunday supper. It also pairs well with grilled chicken or simple baked pork chops if you want to stretch it for company, and the leftovers reheat easily for lunch the next day.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Street Corn Elote PastaServings: 6
Ingredients
12 oz dried short pasta (elbow, shells, or rotini)
3 cups frozen or canned corn kernels, drained and patted dry
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
8 oz crumbled cotija cheese (about 2 cups, divided)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a medium dark-colored baking dish (about 9x13 inches or similar) and set it aside.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until just shy of al dente, 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta well and let it steam off any extra moisture for a minute so it doesn’t water down the sauce.
While the pasta cooks, spread the corn kernels in a single layer on a large, dry baking sheet. Place the corn on the upper rack of the hot oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until the edges are lightly charred and some kernels are browned. (If you like a smokier flavor, you can switch the oven to broil for the last 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely so the corn doesn’t burn.)
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and about 1 1/2 cups of the crumbled cotija cheese until you have a thick, creamy mixture. It won’t be perfectly smooth, and that’s just fine.
Add the hot, drained pasta and the roasted corn to the mayo and cotija mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly until every piece of pasta and corn is coated in the creamy sauce. The heat from the pasta will help loosen the mixture into a silky, glossy coating.
Spoon the coated pasta and corn into the prepared dark baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cotija cheese over the top for a nice salty crust and extra pockets of cheese.
Bake the pasta, uncovered, at 400°F (200°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling, the top has a few golden spots, and the corn on top looks a bit more charred. The sauce should be creamy, not dry.
Let the dish rest on the counter for about 5 minutes before serving so the sauce can settle and cling to the pasta. Serve warm, scooping out big spoonfuls so you get plenty of creamy sauce, charred corn, and cheese in every portion.
Variations & Tips
If you’d like more traditional elote flavor without adding extra main ingredients, you can finish the hot baked pasta with a squeeze of fresh lime over the top and a light sprinkle of chili powder or smoked paprika before serving. For a little color and crunch, stir in chopped green onions or finely minced fresh cilantro if you have them on hand. If cotija is hard to find where you live, you can use crumbled feta cheese for a similar salty tang, or even a finely grated dry Parmesan-style cheese in a pinch. To make the corn even smokier, char it in a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop instead of roasting, letting a few kernels get almost black around the edges. For a slightly lighter version, you can replace part of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, but keep at least half mayonnaise for that familiar street-corn richness. Food safety tips: keep the mayonnaise and cheese refrigerated until you are ready to mix the sauce, and don’t leave the finished pasta out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s a very hot day). Cool leftovers quickly, cover tightly, and refrigerate within that time frame. Reheat leftovers until steaming hot in the center before eating, and use them within 3 to 4 days for best quality.
