BLT Pasta Salad turns a classically perfect flavor combo into a fun summer dish that everyone will rave about! Crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, and rotini pasta are tossed in a creamy homemade dressing to create a flavor combo that you will not be able to get enough of.
This easy pasta salad recipe is great for any cookout or even as a lunch or light summer meal! Using homemade dressing makes this recipe next level!
I am sort of known as the pasta salad queen when it comes to cookouts, barbecues, or potlucks. I will almost always be bringing along a delicious cold pasta salad with me, whether it is a Italian Pasta Salad or a tangy Greek pasta salad!
When I created this BLT pasta salad recipe, I knew I was onto something. It was the first thing gone at our last barbecue and my family requested it again within the same week! I love using rotini pasta in this recipe, because the yummy dressing sneaks into the crevices. BLT bow tie pasta salad or even BLT tortellini salad (using cheese filled tortellini) are also great options if you feel like changing things up a little bit!
The pasta salad dressing for this recipe is a combination of ranch and mayonnaise. The ranch adds flavor while the mayonnaise makes it nice and creamy! While you can use a bottled ranch dressing, as with most recipe homemade tastes best so I always use a quick batch of my fave homemade ranch dressing. A few extra minutes but definitely worth the time!
This makes it the absolute perfect side dish, because you can easily make it ahead of time and bring it with you!
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What To Put in Pasta Salad
This BLT pasta salad is seriously the bomb dot com. Not only are the classic BLT ingredients all there, but the addition of fresh avocados, cheddar cheese, and red onions really turns this into a legendary pasta salad recipe!
All pasta salads are super versatile, meaning you can add or remove just about anything you’d like. If you don’t eat pork, I have had success subbing the bacon out with turkey bacon in this BLT pasta salad. If you have produce you need to use up, peppers, carrots, celery, and onions all make great additions. The options are endless here! If you’re missing the bread from your favorite BLT sandwich, toss in a handful of croutons!
Just keep in mind that if you are adding any protein to your pasta salad, it will not last as long as if you omit it. Chicken will only last a couple days in the fridge, and bacon only lasts about 3. If you plan on making BLT pasta salad in advance, I would suggest making it within a day prior to the potluck or barbecue you plan to bring it to!
Ingredients
- 10 slices bacon cooked and crumbled, grease reserved
- 12 ounces rotini or penne, cooked and cooled
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup ranch dressing
- 1 ½ cups diced fresh tomatoes
- ½ avocado diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together mayonnaise, ranch dressing and 1 tablespoon bacon grease (optional).
- In a large bowl assemble the pasta, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, red onion, lettuce and bacon.
- Pour the dressing over and toss to combine.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
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How long does this keep? I’m looking at making it ahead and bringing it to eat between games at a basketball tournament. Will it keep for 2 days in the refrigerator?
If making it advance I would keep the dressing separate until you are ready to serve.
I just made this salad for the first time! Silly me! What took me so long?? My husband said, “Next to rib eye, this is THE BEST!!” And rib eye is my husband’s absolute favorite! I will, without a doubt, be making this again!! And again! And again!! To top it off, it was fun for me to make! (I had never made bacon before!) 😊
Not sure if all of the ranch dressing that I made from scratch was supposed to be used. I only used the combined Mayo/ranch dressing listed in the recipe; made the pasta salad the night before July 4th. I don’t think anyone liked the pasta salad as I came home with almost the entire bowl! ☹️
The recipe is correct as written Bobbie. It’s always a big hit at our BBQs, so I’m surprised it wasn’t devoured! Maybe no one tried it.
I made this recipe and it was so good and gone in two days. I didn’t use the avocado and I used dried parsley instead of fresh. Thank you for sharing and we are having it again tomorrow night.
did you change the recipe? I swear it said sour cream not ranch dressing….. why?
I just double checked in our data base, no changes have been made to the ingredients in this recipe since the initial posting.
This recipe is phenomenal. Every single person who has tried it has asked for the recipe. It’s fantastic for summer and holds up really well in the fridge. We’re adding it to the rotation for sure!
Delicious 😋 I added more bacon grease lol I was looking for something a little different and everyone loved it.
I had some extra chicken salad dressing that I used but followed the recipe otherwise and my husband LOVED it!
I’ve been using your recipe for years. Best pasta salad ever!
Made the BLT pasta salad for the 4th of July and my daughter-inlaw claimed it should become one of our staples. Everyone loved it. Thanks so much.
This is a nice alternative to traditional pasta salad. My kids request it all the time, even though they’re all grown. So delicious!
Our super hot weather motivated me to find some cool, savory salad dishes to enjoy, and this one fit the bill perfectly. I made a few small changes and used refrigerated cheese tortellini, broccoli instead of lettuce, and Parmesan cheese in place of bacon grease. Chilled the salad for about an hour or so before eating, and it was a fabulous meal on a hot summer night. We’ll be enjoying this salad frequently through this summer. Delicious!
This has became a summer staple in our house! My kids ask for it regularly. And this is my only potluck dish I take anymore. FIVE STARS!
these recipes Are Over the Top I highly recommend trying them at five thumbs up go ahead and go for it u will love it.
I skipped the lettuce and avocado (didn’t want it to get mushy) as well as added some pickle juice and “Complete” seasoning. Literally 10/10!
I substituted the pasta for chickpea pasta to increase fiber and protein intake and this recipe still came out very good. There is lots of leeway to play around with it and I love that. Would definitely make this again
mild or sharp, cheddar cheese? thanks!
We used mild cheddar in this recipe but you can use any cheese you have on hand or prefer! :)
We had this for lunch today. It was a hit. Perfect for our Sunday lunch.