This BLT pasta salad recipe is a fun spin on classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. It’s a creamy salad that is light, delicious and the perfect side to add to any meal or bring to a BBQ. The addition of fresh avocados adds a bit of a fun texture and it’s truly one that everyone will ask you to make again and again.
You will need:
For the Salad
- 16-ounce box rotini pasta, cooked, drained, and rinsed with cold water
- 13 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
- ½ of a large red onion, finely diced
- 1½ cups of cheddar cheese, cut into cubes (measured after it’s been cubed)
- 2 cups of romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite-size pieces (measured after it’s in pieces)
- 1 avocado, cut into small pieces
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half (measured after cut in half)
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
For the Dressing
- ¾ cup mayo
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
PASTA: You can use any type of small pasta in this great 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 crunchy 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. Pepper jack, 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 THIS BLT PASTA SALAD RECIPE
STEP ONE: In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, milk, pepper, salt, and sour cream. Use a whisk to mix together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
STEP TWO: In a large pot, cook pasta per package directions. Drain, rinse the hot pasta with cold water, and drain again. Place in a large mixing bowl.
STEP THREE: Add cooked and chopped bacon, red onion, cheddar cheese cubes, avocado, cherry tomatoes, parsley, and romaine lettuce. Then, pour dressing mix over the ingredients. Use tongs to gently toss the salad until everything is well coated.
STEP FOUR: Serve
HOW TO SERVE
Any easy pasta salad recipe is a great option for a summer BBQ. This salad, filled with all of the classic BLT ingredients is the best one yet! Serve alongside hot dogs, burgers, or black bean burgers.
STORAGE
IN THE FRIDGE: The romaine lettuce in this BLT pasta salad does not save well. Because of this, I recommend serving it right away. 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.