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This BLT Pasta Salad is a creamy cold pasta salad that has all the flavors of the classic BLT sandwich in a delicious side dish.
BLT Pasta Salad
Our classic italian pasta salad is one of our favorite summer side dishes during the hot summer days but this BLT pasta salad is a close second. BLT sandwiches were one of my favorite sandwiches growing up and I just introduced it to my oldest son who loves it as much as I do. This cold salad is a twist on the classic sandwich in a potluck friendly salad great for parties, picnics, and a weeknight side dish.
Ingredients & FAQ’s
- Bow Tie Pasta
- cherry or grape tomatoes
- Red onions, optional
- Bacon
What kind of dressing do I use?
In my opinion the dressing is the star of the show in this dish -it’s not made up of just one ingredient but a couple ingredients that makes it’s creamy and so flavorful. This dressing is a perfect mixture of mayo, dry ranch seasoning packet, and a touch of barbecue sauce.
How long can you store this pasta salad?
While this pasta salad tastes best after the flavors have a chance to blend for a hour or two, I do recommend waiting to add the lettuce until right before serving. The lettuce will soak up the dressing quickly and you don’t want soggy lettuce.
HOW TO MAKE BLT PASTA SALAD
- Cook Pasta according to package directions, for “al dente.” Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Wash and dry lettuce, cut or tear into bite sized pieces.
- Add pasta, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and bacon to a large bowl.
- Mix together dry ranch seasoning mix, milk, mayo, apple cider vinegar, and barbecue sauce together until combined.
- Pour dressing over pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (1 ounce) package dry Ranch seasoning mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp barbecue sauce
- 1 lb bow tie pasta
- 1 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup red onions, diced optional
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 cups roughly chopped Romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions for "al dente." . Drain and rinse with cool water.
- Wash and dry lettuce, then cut or tear into bite sized pieces.
- Add pasta, lettuce, bacon and tomatoes to a large bowl. Gently toss, then pour dressing on ( you may not need all the dressing ) start with half... and toss.. if it seems you will need more, toss more dressing on. As the salad sits, the pasta will soak up the dressing. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
- If making this ahead, add all ingredients to the bowl except for the romaine lettuce. Add lettuce right before serving to prevent soggy lettuce pieces.
Beth says
My family and I love any pasta salads! This one is our favorite. I can’t wait to make this again!
stephanie says
This was so stink’n good! Loved that you used a little BBQ sauce in the recipe.
Matthew Taylor says
Yes!! You had me at BLT. haha. I love this pasta! So easy to make and delicious.