The Best BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
BLT Pasta Salad is everything you love about a classic BLT sandwich in pasta salad form! Made with crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, tender pasta, and creamy dressing, this BLT Pasta Salad will become the most requested pasta salad at summer BBQs, picnics, and potlucks!
The Pasta Salad for BLT Lovers
Calling all BLT Lovers! This BLT Pasta Salad recipe puts a twist on a classic BLT sandwich to create an unforgettable pasta salad!
From the crispy baked bacon to the sweet tomatoes to the fresh lettuce to the tender pasta to the creamy dressing made with, gasp, bacon drippings, this BLT pasta salad will quickly become the post requested summer side dish! I mean, nothing against Antipasto Pasta Salad or Caprese Pasta Salad, but this BLT pasta salad is a little bit of unexpected culinary genius!
Whether taking this dish to a party or serving alongside burgers, grilled shrimp, or BBQ chicken, you need this BLT Pasta Salad in your life. It is just too good to pass up!
Ingredients in BLT Pasta Salad
You guessed it! For a BLT Pasta Salad you need bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and pasta! And just like a good BLT sandwich, the dressing is made with mayonnaise which lends a creamy, rich finish to the pasta salad. Keep in mind a few notes when selecting your ingredients.
- 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.
- Bacon: For the best flavor, use a thick-cut bacon. While you can use turkey bacon, the flavor and texture is not ideal for this recipe.
- Lettuce: Use a crisp lettuce, like romaine or iceberg, not spinach or spring mix.
How to make BLT Pasta Salad
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Don’t Rinse Your Cooked Pasta
It is important to cook your pasta according the package directions in rapidly boiling water that is heavily salted. The salt will help to flavor the noodles from the inside out and is your only chance to flavor the pasta itself. Once your noodles are al dente, drain off the cooking liquid, but do not rinse your pasta! That causes the pasta to lose flavor along with the starch coating that will help dressing adhere to the noodles.
Cool The Pasta
It is importantly thoroughly cool the pasta to room temperature before adding the lettuce and tomatoes, to keep the components fresh and crisp. To speed up the cooling process, spread the cooked noodles out onto a large rimmed sheet pan and place it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Prepare the Bacon
While the water is coming to a boil for the pasta, use this time to either bake bacon or pan fry the bacon in a large skillet. Baking bacon is hands-off and pan-frying the bacon is slightly faster. It is also a great method when the summer temps are just too hot to turn on the oven! Keep in mind regardless of the method of baking you use, you will want to reserve some bacon drippings for the dressing.
Prepare BLT Pasta Salad Dressing with Drippings
Instead of using olive oil, I recommend using a tiny bit of the rendered bacon grease, which will naturally complement the flavors of this pasta salad well. That combined with mayonnaise, vinegar, shallots, and sugar creates a dressing that is rich, creamy, tangy, and a tiny bit sweet. It is so good.
Assemble BLT Pasta Salad
Once the pasta has cooled, the bacon is cooled and chopped, and the dressing is prepared toss everything together with tomatoes, lettuce, and chives.
Serve Warm or Chilled
You can serve BLT Pasta Salad immediately after assembling, for a slightly warm pasta salad. Or chill for 30 minutes before serving, which will give time for the flavors to marry together and enhance the flavor.
Serving Tip
To serve this easy BLT pasta salad at an outdoor gathering or for a longer period of time at an indoor event, nestle your serving bowl on top of a larger serving bowl that has been filled with ice or ice packs. Switch out your ice or ice packs every hour to keep the pasta salad chilled.
Recipe Modifications
- Additions: While this BLT pasta salad needs no addition, if desired you can opt to add shredded or cubed cheddar cheese, diced avocado, or even grilled chicken.
- Swap out the Dressing: If you don’t want to make the dressing as written, another option would be to use bottled or homemade ranch dressing.
- Lighten-It Up: Feel free to swap the mayonnaise out for plain Greek yogurt.
- Omit the Bacon Grease: In place of the bacon grease, feel free to use extra virgin olive oil to make the creamy dressing.
- Omit Shallots: If you don’t have shallots on hand, simply omit them and instead add ½ teaspoon each of garlic power and onion powder to the dressing. It won’t be the same, but still delicious!
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
More Favorite Potluck Recipes
Just like my recipes for Bacon Ranch Potato Salad and Homemade Baked Beans, which both contain bacon, this BLT Pasta Salad is always a hit! People just love bacon 😉 Of course, you can never have too many dishes at a potluck or picnic. Below are a few more favorites.
If you tried this easy BLT Pasta Salad recipe, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
BLT Pasta Salad
Made with crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, tender pasta, and creamy dressing, this BLT Pasta Salad is everything you love about a classic BLT sandwich in pasta salad form!
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Servings: 12
Calories: 271kcal
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Instructions
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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, and cool the pasta completely. You can speed the process up by spreading the cooked pasta onto a rimmed baking sheet.
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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.
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To prepare the dressing, whisk together the 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings with ½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons minced shallot, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
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Toss the dressing, cooked and cooled pasta, chives, tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon bits together until evenly distributed. Give a taste and add additional salt if needed.
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Serve warm, or for the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
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 degrees F, 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 withing 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
This post was originally published in 2018 but has been updated in 2024.
