Easy Pastina Salad with Charred Corn and Feta

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A pasta twist on Mexican street corn salad, this pastina salad is so easy and so good. It combines tiny star-shaped pasta with sweet charred corn, spicy jalapeño, coriander, and a creamy lime-paprika dressing. It’s simple and bright and really so delicious. It makes the perfect lunch all year round as you can make it ahead. Or make it as a side for a Summer BBQ.

pastina salad in a wooden bowl with lime slices and feta.

Pastina, the beloved tiny pasta often used in Italian soups (you might like to try my classic pastina recipe), makes a surprisingly brilliant base for a pasta salad. Its small size means every spoonful gets coated in the smoky, tangy dressing.

This recipe takes inspiration from esquites (also elote en vaso), the Mexican street corn salad, but gives it a pasta twist. Instead of serving corn on the cob with cotija cheese, we cut kernels off fresh cobs (or use tinned), char them for extra flavour, and toss everything together with feta, fresh herbs, and lime.

This post gives you everything you need: a step-by-step recipe, timings, troubleshooting advice, make-ahead and storage guidance, plus serving suggestions.

Why you will love this recipe:
Ingredients:
Substitutions and Variations:
Here’s how to make charred corn pastina salad:
Cooking Tips:
Frequently Asked Questions
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Mexican Pastina Salad Recipe

Why you will love this recipe:

You get smoky charred corn, creamy dressing, tangy lime, and salty cheese, but the recipe only takes about 30 minutes.
It’s comforting yet fresh.
Because pastina is so tiny, you get a bit of everything – corn, herbs, cheese, and dressing – in each spoonful.
Use fresh corn in summer when it’s sweet and in season, or tinned corn in colder months for a quick pantry staple dish.
It works as a BBQ side, a picnic salad, or even a light main, and it’s easy to scale up for feeding a group.

Ingredients:

Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!

Pastina – a tiny pasta often used in Italian soups. It makes a surprisingly brilliant base for a pasta salad. Its small size means every spoonful gets coated in the smoky, tangy dressing.

Jalapeño – I like one small jalapeño for some heat, but you can omit this if you don’t like spice or add more if you do.

Corn – I like to use corn on the cob – I find it chars best in the pan and I love the caramelisation but I have included instructions for tinned corn too.

Coriander – also known as cilantro.

Substitutions and Variations:

Cheese: Cotija cheese is traditional in Mexican corn salad – use it if you can find it. Feta makes a great stand-in, though.

Pasta swaps: If you can’t find pastina, orzo or ditalini work well. These tiny shapes give a similar spoonable texture.

Herbs: If you don’t love coriander, swap it for parsley or fresh basil.

Make it a main: Add grilled chicken strips or black beans for extra protein.

Dairy-free: Use vegan mayo and sour cream, and swap feta for a dairy-free cheese alternative.

Here’s how to make charred corn pastina salad:

Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.

ONE: Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pastina for one minute less than the packet instructions. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking, then set aside. Slice the kernels off with a sharp knife. Heat the olive oil (or butter) in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

TWO: Fry the kernels for 5-7 minutes until lightly charred and caramelised. Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika and the zest of 1 lime.

adding lime to the dressing for pastina salad.

THREE: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, lime juice and paprika until smooth.

FOUR: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, corn, coriander, spring onions, jalapeño, lime zest and feta.

adding the dressing to the pastina salad.

FIVE: Pour over the dressing and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little extra salt or lime juice if needed. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled (ie. out of the fridge for 20 mins before serving just to remove the fridge chill).

Cooking Tips:

Keep pastina from going mushy: Undercook it slightly by 1 minute, rinse under cold water, and drain well.

Get real char on corn: Make sure the pan is hot and avoid overcrowding – let the kernels sit for 1–2 minutes before stirring to develop colour.

Balance the dressing: Add half first, toss, then add more if needed. This avoids overdressing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop pastina salad from getting mushy?

Cook the pastina just until al dente (1 min less than packet instructions), then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain thoroughly so excess water doesn’t dilute the dressing. Pastina does soften over time so it’s best on the day it’s made.

Can I use canned corn in pastina salad?

Absolutely, you can use canned corn in pastina salad. Just drain and pat dry first, then pan-fry to get some colour. It won’t caramelise as well as corn cobs but it’s still good.

How long does pastina salad last in the fridge?

Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for up to 3 days. After that, the pastina will turn a little mushy.

What’s the best way to char corn for salads — pan or grill?

For speed, pan-frying kernels cut off the cob works in just 4–7 minutes – this is what I do. For smoky flavour, grilling corn on the cob under a hot grill (12-18 minutes, turning regularly) is the best option. Tinned corn also works if you dry it first and fry in a hot pan.