Mexican Street Corn Mac and Cheese

When fresh corn on the cobb is in season, it’s the best season…am I right?! Hot buttery corn loaded with salt and pepper is the one of the best dinners in the Summer. We’re taking it to the next level…we’re making two of our favorites together: Mexican Street Corn and Mac and Cheese. Warm cheesy macaroni noodles topped with sweet Mexican Street Corn. For more of a complete meal, if you’d like to add meat, try some cooked Mexican style chorizo sausage, it would go great with this.

Mexican Street Corn Mac and Cheese

Author: Kami - NoBiggie.net

Ingredients

FOR THE MAC AND CHEESE
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
10 oz. grated cheddar cheese
½ (16-oz.) package elbow macaroni, cooked
FOR THE MEXICAN STREET CORN
2 cups corn (about 4 ears of corn), fresh or frozen
½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (or feta cheese)
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sour cream or Mexican Crema
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

FOR THE MAC AND CHEESE: In a large pot melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mix until well combined. Whisk in the milk, and mix until thickened.
Whisk in the grated cheese until melted and the sauce is smooth.
Add in the cooked macaroni noodles and mix until well coated in the cheese sauce. Keep warm in the pot until ready to serve.
FOR THE MEXICAN STREET CORN: Mix up the cheese mixture - mayo, sour cream, crumbled Cotija cheese, cumin, paprika and chopped cilantro. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use.
Grill the corn - First shuck and peel the corn…a few stray corn silk hairs is okay it will burn away on the grill. Grill, rotating the corn until lightly charred on all sides and fully cooked.
Optional: If you’d rather not fire up the grill, you can boil the corn. To add the charred grill marks you can first boil it and then broil it for a few minutes to get the charred marks. To boil, fill a low wide pot with water, Cover the pot with a lid and bring the water to a boil. Add in the corn, let the water return to a boil again, then turn off the heat and keep the pot covered. After about 5 minutes, remove the ears of corn from the water.
Cut the corn off the cob and toss in a bowl with the Mexican cheese mixture.
Serve the cheesy corn mixture over a warm bowl of mac and cheese.
Finish with a little sprinkle of more Cotija cheese and smoked paprika.