This requires a touch more commitment than your average dump-and-stir weeknight pasta, but the reward is a golden and glossy dish that’s an exuberant celebration of summer corn—equal parts sweet, saline, and savory with a tiny spike of heat, evocative of its elote corn namesake.
When blended, raw corn kernels give up all of their starch, and it takes only a few moments of cooking to turn the resulting sauce thick and creamy (with no actual heavy cream involved!). Blistering some of the corn to finish the dish with—either on the stovetop or grill—is highly recommended but to simplify, you can just boil those cobs briefly along with the pasta instead (add it to the pot at the last minute or so) before cutting the kernels off in wide strips. Nobody will know.
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What you’ll need
Blender
$40 At Amazon
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
12
6
4
1
2
4
½
½
1
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 12 oz. medium pasta (such as rigatoni or gemelli) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (pasta will finish cooking in sauce), about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, reserving 3 cups pasta cooking liquid. Reserve pot.
Step 2
Meanwhile, using tongs, cook 2 ears of corn, husked, directly over a medium-high flame on stovetop, turning often, until charred and blackened in spots, 8–10 minutes. Corn will make ferocious popping noises; don’t be alarmed. (Alternatively, prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Grill corn, turning often, until charred and blackened in spots, 8–10 minutes.) Let corn cool, then slice kernels from cobs in slabs.
Step 3
Cut kernels from remaining 4 ears of corn, husked, (you should have about 4 cups); transfer raw kernels to a blender and add 1½ cups pasta cooking liquid. Purée until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in reserved pot over medium-low heat. Cook 1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped, 2 large poblano chiles, halved, seeds removed, coarsely chopped, and 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, stirring occasionally, until softened but without taking on any color, 5–7 minutes. Add ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and ½ tsp. ground cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Season generously with kosher salt.
Step 5
Add puréed corn mixture to pot along with pasta. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring vigorously and adding up to ½ cup reserved pasta cooking liquid if needed, until pasta is coated in sauce and al dente, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add zest and juice of 1 large lime and ½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese, stirring vigorously to combine.
Step 6
Divide pasta among bowls; top with charred corn, coarsely chopped cilantro, and remaining ½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
Leave a Review
Reviews (32)
Back to TopGood. But not my fave. Loved the creaminess but was lacking flavor. Will use my sweet Hudson Valley grown corn for other recipes.
JL
Patterson, NY
8/31/2023
Not sure how anyone could rate this poorly. It was so delicious!!! 5 stars (or more) for sure - a genius idea to combine elote and pasta!
Ramya
Washington, DC
8/1/2023
This was amazing! For those wondering where the cilantro was, or the taste being meh, be sure you are following the recipe - read it in its entirety - carefully (multiple times if necessary) - before making - you'll need to work out the various steps and timings on your own - don't change anything (use the spices called for) - use real poblano peppers, Cotija cheese in 2 steps, grill some of the corn, blend the rest - reserve the pasta water, etc.! You'll be rewarded. Zest the lime. The cilantro is a garnish at the end with more of the Cotija.
Anonymous
South Portland, ME
7/9/2023
I've read this recipe three times--does it ever mention adding the onion-poblano mixture to the pasta? And it says, "top with cilantro" but cilantro isn't listed in the ingredients.
Dani
Washington, DC
7/7/2023
It's a shame this recipe is rated as poorly as it is - looking through the comments after making the dish, it's clear that most people simply didn't salt the dish enough. The recipe calls for "generous" salt, and it means it. Tons of flavor, this was bright, fresh, fun and felt very light. Just the right amount of heat from the chili flakes. Will definitely be making this again.
Aaron
Detroit, MI
6/26/2023
I thought this was delicious and fairly easy. Cutting corn off the cob can be annoying, but it really doesn’t take that long. Definitely need to add LOTS of salt to this recipe
Anonymous
9/26/2022
Made it as is, and it was delicious. I don’t understand the comments about being labor intensive. Grilling corn is easy and putting it together was a snap. One of the few recipes that i ended up adding ,ore salt. Perfect late summer weekday meal to use of that fresh corn before it’s gone.
Rojoyo
Seattle
9/22/2022