BLT Pasta Salad
Published on June 27, 2022
Quick Summary
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Pin ItYou can’t go wrong with a classic BLT sandwich. My boys request them often, especially during the summer months when our garden tomatoes are in abundance. We also love making our BLT Salad, it’s a family favorite and a blog favorite.
Well, if you are a BLT fan, you are in luck because we have another winning BLT recipe for you. This BLT Pasta Salad is summer perfection. It is the perfect recipe to take to any barbecue, picnic, pool party, or potluck.
This pasta salad has all of the traditional BLT flavors.It has bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, red onion plus hearty rotini pasta. The salad gets tossed in a creamy herb dressing that makes the salad pop!
Add this pasta salad to your summer to do list! I know it will be a favorite!
Table of Contents
Salad Ingredients
The ingredient list is simple! You might even have them all in your kitchen right now!
- Pasta we use rotini pasta, but other small noodles like penne, farfalle, or orecchiette, will also work. If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, you can use gluten-free pasta.
- Bacon– cook the bacon and chop it up so it is ready for the salad. You can fry the bacon in a skillet on the stove or bake it in the oven. We also like to cook our bacon on our Traeger Grill.
- Lettuce– we use Romaine lettuce because it is sturdy and crisp and holds up well with the creamy dressing. You can also use spinach or arugula.
- Tomatoes– use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. They are the perfect size for the salad.
- Red onion– thinly sliced!
- Avocado– don’t skip the avocado!
Salad Dressing
The creamy dressing is a MUST for this pasta salad! It brings all of the classic BLT flavors together.
- Greek yogurt– use plain Greek yogurt and not flavored yogurt. Sour cream will also work.
- Mayonnaise– you can use light or regular mayo!
- Lemon juice– to brighten things up!
- Herbs– chives, parsley, and dill!
- Garlic powder & onion powder– for flavor!
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
- First, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
- Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water. Shake out any excess water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the dressing to the pasta and stir to combine.
- Add the chopped bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado and stir again until the salad is well coated.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.
What to Serve with BLT Pasta Salad
You can serve this pasta salad as a main dish or side dish. If you want to serve it with a few other dishes, here are a few of our favorites.
- Honey Mustard Chicken
- Steak Kabobs
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Guacamole Bacon Burger
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Fruit Salad
How to Store
Because this salad has lettuce and avocado, it is best the day it is made. If you are taking the salad to a potluck or party, you can even wait to add the avocado and lettuce right before serving. Give it a good toss and serve to your family and friends. It is always a hit!
If you happen to have leftovers, you can store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The lettuce won’t be as crisp and the a avocado might brown a little, but it will still be good.
You can make the dressing in advance. Store in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Whisk before adding to the salad.
You can also make the bacon in advance. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Spinach Artichoke Pasta Salad
BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 3/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
- 10 oz rotini pasta, or other small pasta
- 8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
- 2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
- 2 cups halved grape tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large avocado, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth.
- Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water. Shake out any excess water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the dressing to the pasta and stir to combine. Add the chopped bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado and stir again until the salad is well coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.