BLT pasta salad is a clever twist on your classic BLT sandwich! We take bacon, lettuce, tomato, and add in some homemade dressing and rotini pasta to make this delicious pasta salad.
It’s bursting with flavor and offers a quick and easy side dish for your next potluck or summer party or barbecue!
EASY BLT PASTA SALAD
You can never have enough pasta salad side dishes in your recipe book. They come in handy whether you’re searching for something quick to make for family dinner, or you’ve got a big group to feed at a potluck. This BLT salad is easily one of our favorite recipes out there.
Who doesn’t love a good bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich? My mouth waters just thinking about it. This salad puts everyone’s favorite sandwich into pasta format. The addition of Ranch seasoning in the dressing sends this pasta salad to the next level.
It’s quick and easy to make and super delicious. Everyone who tries this BLT pasta salad always gives a raving review. I can’t wait for you and yours to give it a try.
INGREDIENTS/SHOPPING LIST
Ingredients For Salad:
- Rotini pasta
- Bacon
- Red onion
- Cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
- Romaine lettuce
- Avocado
- Cherry tomatoes
- Parsley
Ingredients for Dressing:
- Hidden Valley Dressing Mix (dry)
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS/OPTIONS
Pasta: You can use any type of small pasta in this recipe. Bow tie pasta, shells, rigatoni, or penne are other options that would work well.
Bacon: If you want to save a step, or don’t have time, you could use store-bought bacon bits instead of cooking your own bacon and chopping it up. However, fresh cooked bacon will have a much better flavor overall in your salad.
Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese can be used instead of cubed cheese if you prefer. You can also use a different type of cheese if you prefer. Pepperjack, colby jack, provolone, or swiss would all be great options. All of them could be used in a shredded form or cut into cubes.
HOW TO MAKE BLT PASTA SALAD
Step 1: Mix the ingredients to make the dressing. Place in refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes.
Step 2: Cook rotini pasta per package directions.
Step 3: Add cooked and chopped bacon, red onion, cheddar cheese cubes, avocado, cherry tomatoes, parsley, and romaine lettuce. Mix dressing over ingredients
Step 4: Serve immediately.
PRO-TIPS
Tip 1: Cut all ingredient amounts in half if you are serving a smaller group, as this will make a large mixing bowl full of salad.
Tip 2: Get creative with the ingredients! Seriously, one of the best parts about this pasta salad is that you can pretty much add anything to it and it will still be amazing. One of my favorite additions is the avocado. Feel free to add any of your favorite vegetables.
Tip 3: It’s important that you store your BLT salad properly. It doesn’t keep well because of the romaine lettuce included in it. It’s best to leave the lettuce out if you don’t plan to serve it right away.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BLT PASTA SALAD
BLT pasta salad is the ultimate dish to pass. It’s great for potlucks and gatherings because it can be served with a wide range of dishes. I particularly love this salad with burgers! It’s also fabulous on its own! I love eating the leftovers for lunch as a full meal.
HOW TO STORE BLT PASTA SALAD
The romaine lettuce in BLT pasta salad does not save well. Because of this I recommend serving it right away or waiting until you are ready to serve before mixing in the lettuce and dressing.
If you have leftovers to store, it’s best if you don’t add lettuce to the entire mixture and add fresh lettuce when you serve again. Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container for up to 24 hours and eat the next day. I don’t recommend keeping this in the fridge for more than 24 hours.
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