Fresh Cold Corn Pasta Salad
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This fresh cold corn pasta salad is the ideal meal for the hot days of summer!!
A cold orecchiette pasta, tossed with cherry tomatoes, grilled corn, mozzarella and pesto to make a delicious lunch or dinner for your next summer get-together. The textures, colors and flavors of this salad are fresh and bright, which is everything you start to crave as the temperatures heat up.
We always look forward to all the fresh fruits and vegetables that are in-season in the summer, but nothing beats buying the fresh corn in the husks at the store. There really is nothing like fresh grilled corn on the cob. And with the warmer weather, we have been craving the taste of it, which led us to creating this fresh cold corn pasta salad.
This large salad filled with all the beloved summer flavors is great for meal prepping or serving to a large group of people on a time crunch. Cold pasta salads, like this one are such a refreshing treat on warmer days. Whether you are meal prepping for a week of work or hosting a party with friends, this pasta salad will be a hit.
Fresh Cold Corn Pasta Salad
What’s in this recipe?
Fresh Corn : Fresh corn in the husks is really the only way to go with this recipe because it adds so much texture and freshness to the cold pasta salad.
Orecchiette pasta: Feel free to use any pasta you have on hand. We love the shape and size of orecchiette, but a macaroni or bowtie pasta will work just as well. We don’t recommend a pasta like a fettuccini or linguini.
Purple Onion: Purple onion tastes best in fresh salads like this one and also adds a nice pop of color.
Cherry tomatoes: We love getting the multi-colored tomatoes because of the color variations but any variety will taste delicious.
Mozzarella balls: Fresh mozzarella in this salad makes it to-die-for!! You want to make sure you get large mozzarella rounds for this recipe so you can cut them into large chunks. They taste so much more refreshing than the smaller pearls.
Pesto: The rich pesto flavor acts as a yummy dressing for this salad and helps to pull all the flavors together.
Balsamic vinegar: To add a bit of tanginess to the salad.
Basil leaves: Who doesn’t love some fresh basil. They really help to play up the freshness of this summer salad.
How to make this Fresh Cold Corn Pasta Salad
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F and start prepping to make your pasta. Fill up a large pot or dutch oven with water. Place the water-filled pot over a stove-top burner and heat over high heat until boiling. Cook your pasta according to the packaging instructions.
Once your oven is preheated, place corn cobs straight on the oven rack and cook for 30 minutes while you prep your pasta and veggies. Continue to monitor the pasta, stirring occasionally. Once the pasta is cooked, strain the pasta, removing all the water. Next, our pasta in a large bowl and toss in some butter or olive oil and stir to coat the pasta. This will help the pasta from clumping together.
When your corn cobs are roasted, remove them from the oven and to cool for a couple minutes. Next remove the husks of the cobs and cut the corn off the cob. Place the corn in a bowl and place in the fridge to cool while you cut the vegetables and mozzarella.
Want the charred look on the corn but don’t want to grill?
There are two ways to get that charred look.
- Broil: Turn oven on broil and place corn cobs (husks removed) back in oven for a couple minutes minutes, carefully monitoring them. You can rotate them every minute or so to get an even char.
- Stove Top: This only works if you have a gas oven with open flame. Remove the husks from the corn and turn a gas burner on your oven. Take one stalk in a pair of metal tongs and move the cob back and forth over the flame, roasting it over the stovetop flame (like a marshmallow). There may be some sparking of popping kernels so be very careful if you choose to char this way.
Next, chop onion, slice cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. If you want thicker chunks like in our salad, slice your mozzarella ball into 8ths (like a pie) and then cut each 8th three or 4 times in the opposite direction to make chunks.
After the vegetables and cheese are chopped, the pasta and corn should be cooled enough so you can start to assemble your salad. Lastly, pour pesto on pasta and stir to coat every piece. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over pasta and toss in onion, corn, mozzarella. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
This post is all about how to make a fresh cold corn pasta salad.
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Fresh Cold Corn Pasta Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 4 corn cobs (in husk) (roasted)
- 1 purple onion (chopped)
- 10 oz package cherry tomatoes (sliced)
- 2 large mozzarella balls (cubed)
- 6 oz jar pesto
- 2 tbsp balsalmic vinegar
- 1 lb orecchiette pasta (opt for bowtie, macaroni, other small pastas)
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and start prepping to make your pasta. Fill up a large pot with water over high heat and start cooking pasta according to box instructions.
- Once oven is preheated, place corn cobs straight on rack in oven and cook for 30 minutes. Continue to monitor pasta. Once pasta is cooked, strain all water out of the pot. Add a little olive oil or butter and stir around and set aside to cool.
- Once corn cobs are cooked, remove them from the oven and cool for a couple minutes. Remove the husk and cut the corn off the cob. Put corn in a bowl and place in the fridge to cool while you cut the rest of your veggies and mozzarella.
- On a cutting board, chop onion, slice cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. If you want thicker chunks like in this salad, slice your mozzarella ball into 8ths (like a pie) and then cut each 8th three or 4 times in the opposite direction to make chunks.
- Once pasta and corn are cooled and vegetables and cheese are chopped, you can start to assemble your salad.
- Pour pesto on pasta and stir to coat every piece. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over pasta and toss in onion, corn, mozzarella. Top with sliced cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Want the charred look on the corn but don’t want to grill? There are two ways to get that charred look.
- Turn oven on broil and place corn cobs (husks removed) back in oven for a couple minutes minutes, carefully monitoring them. You can rotate them every minute or so to get an even char.
- Stove Top: This only works if you have a gas oven with open flame. Remove the husks from the corn and turn a gas burner on your oven. Take one stalk in a pair of metal tongs and move the cob back and forth over the flame, roasting it over the stovetop flame (like a marshmallow). There may be some sparking of popping kernels so be very careful if you choose to char this way.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dinner, Lunch, Main Course
- Cuisine: American
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