Mexican Street Corn Pasta with Bacon and Black Beans
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This Mexican street corn pasta is THE BEST! It’s full of cherry tomatoes, black beans, sweet corn, a little bacon, and a deliciously creamy sauce.
This Tex-Mex corn pasta is a real family favorite around here. It’s loaded with sweet corn and black beans, with cherry tomatoes, bacon, and cheese mixed in for good measure, then tossed in a creamy, Southwest-inspired sauce that brings everything together. It’s cozy, flavorful, and one of those dishes that disappears fast once it hits the table.
I make this quickly and easily on the stovetop, which makes it perfect for busy weeknight dinners. The leftovers reheat beautifully, too, so it’s just as good packed up for lunch the next day—if there’s any left, that is.
Ingredient notes
- Pasta – small shapes work best in this recipe. Shells are great as they hold lots of the sauce!
- Bacon – you can omit this for a vegetarian version.
- Corn – frozen (thawed) or fresh corn cut off the cob both work.
- Black beans – their small size work well in this recipe but you can sub a different kind of bean if you prefer.
- Cherry tomatoes – cut them in half so that their juices become part of the sauce
- Sour cream and mayonnaise – you can use the low-fat version of both if you’d like.
- Cilantro – if you’re not a fan of the flavor you can omit it.
- Cheese – use queso for a more Tex-Mex vibe or feta if it’s easier to find in your grocery store.
- Lime juice – fresh is always best.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this a vegetarian? Yes! Simply omit the bacon and use oil to cook the veggies.
Is this spicy? Nope! This is not a spicy recipe. If you’d like some heat, you can add chili flakes or habanero hot sauce.
How long do leftovers keep? Store leftovers in a covered container in your fridge for up to 4 days.
How should I reheat the leftovers? This pasta reheats best in a microwave or on low heat on your stovetop.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry pasta
- 4 strips bacon
- 3 cups corn (see notes)
- 4 green onions (chopped – greens and whites separate)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 15 ounce can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 cups cherry tomato halves
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
- ¼ cup lime juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.12 ounces dry pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until crispy. Remove from the pan and crumble when it's cool enough to touch.4 strips bacon
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon oil from the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high then add the corn and stir so that it is coated in the oil then let it cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes, or until some of the kernels become golden on the bottom. Add the white and light green parts of the green onions, chili powder, pepper, and salt to the pan and stir.3 cups corn, 4 green onions, 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Add the black beans and cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook until they're warm. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise and stir until warm, about 1 minute.15 ounce can of black beans, 2 cups cherry tomato halves, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise
- Add the corn sauce to the pot with the pasta and add the cilantro, cheese, and lime juice. Stir well then season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. If the pasta seems a little too thick, use some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.½ cup chopped cilantro, ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese, ¼ cup lime juice
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Delicious! Easy to follow recipe with great flavor!
Thank you so much, Traci!
This looks delicious! My partner and I are trying to use up household ingredients before making another grocery store trip, and we don’t have cherry tomatoes, but we do have canned diced tomatoes. Do y’all think that would work? Or would it be better to omit them entirely?
I thin a small can of diced tomatoes should work! It will make the pasta more saucy, but more sauce is never a bad thing!
Excellent recipe! I used fresh black beans instead of canned and cooked in an instapot for 30 min (no soaking) with 20 min release of steam. My kids and husband loved this dish and they usually aren’t big bean fans. This will definitely go in my recipe book.
So tasty and easy to make. Thanks for the recipe!
What a delicious recipe!!!! Finally something that’s not the usual spag bol! It tasted fantastic, such rich flavours.
I may be missing it, but where does the reserved pasta water come into the recipe? Thanks!
We were the ones missing it! It’s been added to the recipe now. We use a little of the pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Just gimme a spoon. Or a fork! This is crazy delish! I love all the big and bold flavors in here and I love that it’s an easy dish to make! We all loved it!!
Just gimme a spoon. Or a fork! This is crazy delish! I love all the big and bold flavors in here and I love that it’s an easy dish to make! We all loved it!
We’re big pasta lovers and while I was looking for new ideas I found your delicious recipe. It’s so tasty and easy to make!
Delicious recipe! I am so glad I gave it a try! Came out super tasty!