BLT Pasta Salad
With crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, tender pasta, and a simple creamy dressing, this BLT Pasta Salad is everything you love about a classic BLT sandwich in an irresistible pasta salad!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta rotini, corkscrew, bowtie, etc.
- 12 ounces thick-cut bacon
- 1 tablespoon reserved bacon drippings
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
- 3 tablespoons chives minced
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 head hearts of romaine lettuce chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Once boiling, salt the water with 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt, add pasta, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Once the pasta has been cooked, drain, but DO NOT RINSE, Cool the pasta to room temperature before adding the remaining ingredients. You can speed the process up by spreading the cooked pasta onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- While the pasta is cooking, dice the bacon into ½-inch strips and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the bacon is crispy and browned. Remove the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease to use in the pasta salad dressing. See recipe notes for baking bacon.
- To prepare the dressing, whisk together the 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings with ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl.
- Once the pasta has cooled to room temperature, toss with the dressing to coat. Add in the chives, tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon and fold together until everything is evenly distributed and creamy. Give a taste and add additional salt if needed.
- Serve warm, or for the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving.
Video
Notes
Bacon Grease: Feel free to omit the bacon grease from the dressing and use extra virgin olive oil in its place. You will also want to increase the salt to account for the salty undertones the bacon adds.
Pasta: Look for pasta with curves or ridges will work for this pasta salad, to help to catch the dressing and ensure every bite is flavorful. Rotini, Farfalle, penne, bowtie, corkscrew, cavatelli, or rotini pasta are all good options.
Tomatoes: Grape or cherry tomatoes are best. If using vine-ripened tomatoes, be sure to seed them before adding them to the pasta salad, to prevent the pasta salad from becoming watered down.
Bake Bacon: Rather than pan-fry the bacon, you can opt to bake your bacon. To bake the bacon, lay the bacon slices out onto a baking rack fitted over a rimmed sheet pan. Bake at 400℉, until crispy and browned. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings from your pan for the dressing. Let the bacon cool, then dice up into bite-sized pieces.
Storage: Store any leftover BLT pasta salad in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Best if enjoyed within 24 hours of preparation.
Nutrition
Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 696mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 9.9mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1.2mg
