All of your favorite tastes of summer in one salad! Fresh corn, ripe avocado, sweet cherry tomatoes, and a spicy kick from jalapeno.  Tossed with al dente fusilli pasta and hot lime dressing.

This post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. Thank you for supporting brands that make Zen & Spice possible!

It’s here: Memorial Day weekend! This means the start of summer and I couldn’t be more excited. Although here in Texas, it’s felt like summer for a few weeks now (hello, 90-degree temps!). Our holiday weekend will likely look very different than last year with everything that’s going on, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the start of summer with some delicious food and family memories. 

We love to grill. My husband is the grilling expert in this family, and after a year of practice, I’d say he’s getting pretty good! Our favorite items to grill are thick juicy steaks and veggies. In particular, corn on the cob! Fresh corn on the cob is in season right now, and Sprouts Farmers Market has plenty of it. 

With increasingly high temps, I tend to crave more fresh, juicy, cool, and crunchy foods like big salads. They’re refreshing and are a great accompaniment to grilled steaks, hamburgers, or grilled chicken. Today I’m sharing a delicious recipe for a grilled corn pasta salad with a spicy kick! 

I bought all of my ingredients from Sprouts. I love shopping here for produce because they really do have the best selection. They also have more hard to find items, like the serrano pepper I used in today’s recipe! You’ll also need sweet cherry tomatoes, a ripe avocado, fresh cilantro and chives, and a zucchini. The dressing is simple and made from fresh lime juice, chili-garlic sauce (sambal oelek), honey, and spices. I love using a non-creamy dressing for pasta salads every now and then for an even more refreshing bite.

This pasta salad is pretty straight forward! Simply hand off the corn to your husband to grill while you prep the rest of the ingredients (lol). While the pasta is cooking, you can sautee the zucchini and pepper and prep the herbs, tomatoes, and avocado. Everything gets whisked together in a large bowl. Be sure to save about an hour for refrigeration and give it a good stir to redistribute the juices before serving! 

Here’s the recipe for Grilled Corn Pasta Salad with Hot Lime Dressing:

Grilled Corn Pasta Salad with Hot Lime Dressing

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★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Emily Weeks, RDN, LD
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6-8 1x

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Description

All of your favorite tastes of summer in one salad! Fresh corn, ripe avocado, sweet cherry tomatoes, and a spicy kick from jalapeno.  All tossed with al dente fusilli pasta and hot lime dressing.

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Ingredients

• 3 ears fresh corn
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced
• 1 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
• 16oz Sprouts Brand Fusilli pasta
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, minced
  ½ small pack of chives, minced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 avocado, small diced
• Hot Lime Dressing:
  • 4 small limes, juiced
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ½ tsp chili-garlic sauce
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

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Instructions

1. Shuck the ears of corn. Preheat a grill to high heat and add corn. Cook, turning often until slightly charred and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Once cool, use a knife to carefully remove the kernels from the cob. Add to a large bowl.
2. Preheat a small skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add zucchini and stir-fry until zucchini is tender, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add to the bowl with the corn.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cool water and add to the bowl.
4. Fold in cilantro, chives, cherry tomatoes, and avocado.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, chili-garlic sauce, and spices. Pour over the pasta salad and toss gently to combine.
6. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

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• Category: pasta salad
• Cuisine: american

Keywords: grilled corn pasta salad, pasta salad