Mexican Street Corn Pasta
with Bell Pepper, Jalapeño & Pepper Jack
- Wheat
- Milk
In Mexico, you can stroll down a sunny street and spot colorful elote, or corn on the cob, charring on a grill cart, the smell of fragrant spices, cheeses, and herbs wafting through the breeze. Now, thanks to a few hearty additions, you can turn this street snack into a filling dinner! Bell pepper, jalapeño, and paprika infuse this pasta with not-too-spicy chili flavor, while sweet corn and penne balance the heat. Then pasta is swirled with cream sauce, cream cheese, and pepper jack for a dreamy take on a traditional fave—right from the comfort of your own casa!
Ingredients
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Bell Pepper
1 unit
Jalapeño
13.4 ounce
Corn Kernels
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon
Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon
Hot Smoked Paprika
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Pepper Jack Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Core, deseed, and finely dice bell pepper. Drain corn and pat dry with paper towels. Mince half the jalapeño (whole jalapeño for 4 servings), removing ribs and seeds for less heat. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1⁄2 cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5-7 minutes. TIP: If bell pepper starts to char, add a few splashes of water.
• Add a drizzle of oil, corn, jalapeño, scallion whites, garlic powder, and half the oregano (all for 4 servings) to pan with bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. • Remove from heat. Stir in half the paprika (all for 4). • Transfer 1⁄4 of the veggie mixture to a plate; reserve for serving.
• Return pan with remaining veggies to stovetop over low heat. Stir in drained penne, cream sauce base, cream cheese, half the pepper jack, half the scallion greens, and 1⁄4 cup reserved pasta cooking water. Cook, stirring, until cream cheese is just melted and pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. (For 4 servings, if pan is too small, carefully transfer everything to empty pot used for pasta.) • Remove from heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time.
• Divide pasta between bowls. Top with reserved veggies and remaining pepper jack. Garnish with scallion greens and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The creamy, cheesy sauce and sweet corn are crowd-pleasers, though many found the overall flavor mild and craving more depth 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Most found this quick and straightforward to pull together on a weeknight.
- Suggestions: Add lime juice and cilantro to brighten the dish; swap pepper jack for cotija cheese and use elote seasoning for a more authentic street-corn flavor. Adding a protein like chicken, chorizo, shrimp, or ground beef takes it to the next level.
- Leftovers: Reheats well and tastes great the next day, making it a solid lunch option.
- Spice level: Heat varies — use the full jalapeño for more kick, or skip it entirely to keep things mild for kids.
- Pasta: Several reviewers felt smaller pasta shapes like elbows or shells would hold the corn and sauce better than penne.
Reviews from our home cooks
It's definitely elotes and understand the flavor but as a main dish it ends up being too one note, corn with heavy cream and cheese. It needs some acid/brightness to avoid getting tired of it halfway through. Lime juice or lime zest? I think adding some cilantro and pickled jalapeño would really improve it
This was fun. I cooked the corn with the peppers all at once (by fortunate mistake) and allowed them all to char slightly like mexican street corn salad. I would suggest possibly changing the recipe to reflect this.
Wasn't sure what to expect with this, but it worked. street corn pasta is a fun idea and it is a great recipe for pasta in warmer weather
Instead of pepper Jack cheese, I think it would've been better and more authentic to street corn with queso fresco.
We are big fans of Mexican street corn but this dish really didn't taste like that. However it was very good and I'd get it again.
Another filling and flavorful recipe, enough for three smaller servings which was good. Could add chicken to make it fajita chicken- street corn pasta.
This one is my absolute FAVE! It's so creamy and delicious and reminiscent of Mexican Street Corn. Yummers!
This pasta was good. I did the corn and bell pepper in the air fryer
My Favorite! I love the charred corn. Anything with the Mexican street corn is just delicious! Always!
I was a bit skeptical but wanted to try and this dish is AWESOME! the flavors surprise you with the Mexican inspired dish with pasta
