Bacon and pasta lovers will love this BLT Pasta Salad!. The combination of textures from the bowtie pasta, romaine lettuce, bacon, and homemade croutons are tossed together with a tasty homemade ranch dressing. This salad is a flavor burst in your mouth that you will look forward to every time you make it.
BLT Pasta Salad is a great picnic salad, delicious on its own for lunch, or perfect beside your next burger.
Summertime Salads Make Meals Easy
There is something about summer that makes a person want salad. It is so easy, and you can make it in so many different ways. I don't know about you, but we go through a lot of mayonnaise in our home once the warmer weather hits. Cold salads are a mainstay at the dinner table and a lot of those cold salads have a mayonnaise based dressing.
What I loved the most about this BLT Pasta salad was the combination of textures, and the fact that it disappeared so fast that the lettuce never had time to think about wilting! All it took was a little prep time and the salad was good to go.
The Ingredients in the BLT Pasta Salad
Bowtie pasta was my choice. I chose this pasta because first off, I love its shape and think it looks nice in a salad. But, I also love how firm it is and how well it stands up to anything I make with it. And, there are enough little crevices in this pasta shape to trap some dressing for a burst of flavor.
Choose a thick cut bacon. We like the flavor of bacon and this lightly cured, smoked over hardwood bacon is the absolute best out there.
Tomatoes
Romaine lettuce
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Homemade Croutons
Tips and Substitutions
- Allow the pasta to cool completely before assembling the salad.
- Use rotini pasta instead of bowtie
- Substitute this Chipotle Salad Dressing for the Ranch.
- Use bread chips in place of homemade croutons.
- Add 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion for an extra boost of flavor.
- Make it cheesy and stir in 1 cup cubed or shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add some avocado to the BLT Pasta Salad and it becomes a BLAT.
More Cold Pasta Salad Recipes To Enjoy
Macaroni Salad with Tuna and Peas
Parmesan Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Corn
*If you made this BLT Pasta Salad recipe, please give it a star rating*
BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bow tie pasta
- 6 slices cooked bacon broken into bite sized pieces
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 small head Romaine
- [½ cup Homemade Ranch Dressing]
- 2 cups Homemade Croutons
Instructions
- [mv_schema_meta name="toss pasta"]In a large mixing bowl, toss together the pasta, bacon, tomato, and lettuce. [mv_img id="3715"]
- [mv_schema_meta name="add ranch dressing"]Pour the ranch dressing over top of the pasta mixture and toss. [mv_img id="3719"]
- [mv_schema_meta name="toss croutons"]Add the croutons and toss to coat. [mv_img id="3717"]
Video
Notes
Tips and Substitutions
- Allow the pasta to cool completely before assembling the salad.
- Use rotini pasta instead of
- Substitute this Chipotle Salad Dressing for the Ranch.
- Use bread chips in place of homemade croutons.
- Add 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion for an extra boost of flavor.
- Make it cheesy and stir in 1 cup cubed or shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add some avocado to the BLT Pasta Salad and it becomes a BLAT.
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