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loaded mexican street corn saute

Name: loaded mexican street corn saute
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 green bell pepper, finely diced; 2 16-ounce bags frozen sweet corn kernels, preferably organic; 2 teaspoons chili powder; ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste; Optional mix-ins, 2 to 4 tablespoons each: minced red onion, crumbled cotija cheese*, chopped cilantro, toasted pumpkin seeds, crumbled bacon, minced pickled jalapenos

Jump To Recipe April 7, 2017 by Katie // 10 Comments »

This Loaded Mexican Street Corn Sauté is an easy skillet variation of Mexican street corn made with frozen corn and topped with flavorful additions like pepitas, Cotija cheese, bacon, pickled jalapenos and cilantro.

Here it is, it’s spring. And I am making Mexican food. Are you surprised at this point?

I guess we shouldn’t be and just accept that apparently this is going to be a thing…When I get obsessed with Mexican food for a stint in early spring. I’m three years going, and it looks like as long as I am dreaming of warmer climates, you guys get Mexican food. Sorry not sorry.

Two years ago I made these Mexican Low Carb Stuffed Peppers. Last year it was these Cauliflower Patties. And now you have Loaded Mexican Street Corn Sauté.

This will be the third year in a row that I am going to be parking my blindingly white rear end on a beach chair in Mexico. It’s less than a month away and I cannot get there soon enough.

In the meantime, we’ll just have to imagine strolling through a Mexican market, street corn in hand, the warm Gulf breeze in the air.

In reality, here in Vermont it isn’t so much breezy as it is crazy windy and sideways raining and we are still nearly a month from May flowers.

This Mexican Street corn is a result of my annual Mexican day dreams. I wanted to recreate the flavors of Mexican street corn, but simplify the method for home, and this time of year, by using a skillet and frozen corn kernels. I am in love with the results.

How to Make Healthy Loaded Mexican Street Corn Sauté

Usually Mexican Street corn is served on the cob with some sort of crema, sour cream or mayonnaise to make all the spices and cheese stick. I decided to save our indulgence for the toppings since they add so much flavor.
I quickly sautéed garlic and chopped green bell pepper in extra-virgin olive oil. Initially I used a blend of butter and oil, but I felt that the flavor didn’t come through enough to justify using the butter.
Next I added in the frozen corn, straight out of the bag- still completely frozen! I dusted on some salt and chili powder and let the corn thaw as I stirred it into the vegetables and seasoning. The whole skillet is done in less than 10 minutes!
Next I piled on the flavor. I used all of my favorite Mexican toppings like toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) and cilantro. You can use homemade Roasted Squash Seeds if you like, or buy purchased pepitas.
Plus Mexican street corn typically has Cotija cheese on it, so I knew I would have to include that. Then I went a little wild and added pickled jalapenos and bacon to make this dish utterly irresistible!
Note this recipe serves 8, it can easily be cut in half, just use a medium skillet instead. If you want to use fresh corn cut off the cob, cook in step 1 only until the corn is just heated through, about 3 minutes.