This BLT Pasta Salad takes all of the flavors from your favorite sandwich and combines them with pasta in a zesty, flavorful make-ahead meal. It’s perfect for a summer lunch or dinner, and can be served as either a side dish or as an entree.
When the weather is nice and warm (as it has been recently), Keith often likes to spend some time on Saturday or Sunday smoking barbecued meat for dinner.
It’s definitely a hobby of his. A hobby that involves large pork shoulders, huge quantities of chicken, and meaty beef roasts. And believe me – the boys love to participate.
After helping their dad start the fire, they usually find some sticks to use as skewers for roasting marshmallows…even if the marshmallow consumption happens at 8:30 a.m.
On the days that Keith has his smoker going, I know that I’m largely off the hook for dinner.
Since he’s in charge of the meat, I only need to worry about a few sides. I often serve cornbread or potato salad, but last weekend I decided to try this new dish: BLT Pasta Salad! By the way, smoked meat or not, this salad is also delicious alongside the perennial kid-favorite, this fried chicken tenders recipe.
Here’s What You Need To Make It
- Mini farfalle (bow tie) pasta – or substitute with regular farfalle pasta
- Grape tomatoes – halved
- Bacon – cooked and chopped
- Parmesan cheese – grated
- Italian salad dressing
- Romaine lettuce – chopped
That’s right. Bacon. Lettuce. And Tomato. In pasta salad. What’s not to like? It was a big hit with all of my boys, so I’m sure that your family will enjoy it too.
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.
- In a large bowl, gently toss together cooked pasta, tomatoes, bacon, Parmesan cheese, and Italian dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, stir lettuce into pasta salad
Top Tips for Making BLT Pasta Salad
- Make sure to cook the bacon crispy so you don’t get undercooked fat in your salad.
- Don’t toss the ingredients with hot pasta, make sure to cool it down with cold water.
- Feel free to add in extra ingredients such as olives or sundried tomatoes.
- Add the lettuce last minute as it will wilt quickly.
- You can store this salad in a plastic container and take on picnics or work.
- If making in advance just layer the lettuce on top of the pasta and mix it in just as you’re about to eat. This will help keep the lettuce fresh and crisp for longer.
More Delicious Pasta Salad Recipes:
- Avocado Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
- Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad
Did you make this recipe?
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B.L.T. Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked mini farfalle (bow tie) pasta (or substitute with regular farfalle pasta)
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup Italian salad dressing
- 2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.
- In a large bowl, gently toss together cooked pasta, tomatoes, bacon, Parmesan cheese, and Italian dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, stir lettuce into pasta salad
Notes
- This yields 4 servings for a main course, or about 8 servings for a side dish.
- Cooking Just for Two? Cut the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
- Make sure to cook the bacon crispy so you don’t get undercooked fat in your salad.
- Don’t toss the ingredients with hot pasta, make sure to cool it down with cold water.
- Feel free to add in extra ingredients such as olives or sundried tomatoes.
- Add the lettuce last minute as it will wilt quickly.
- You can store this salad in a plastic container and take on picnics or work.
- If making in advance just layer the lettuce on top of the pasta and mix it in just as you’re about to eat. This will help keep the lettuce fresh and crisp for longer.
Nutrition
Recipe slightly adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff
BLT was my favourite sandwich growing up so I’m going to love this salad!