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!

BLT Pasta Salad in clear glass bowl

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!

BLT Pasta Salad ingredients in bowl

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 dressingA 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!

More Pasta Salads You Need In Your Life

Pouring dressing on BLT Pasta Salad

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!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
BLT Pasta Salad in clear glass bowl
4.96 from 102 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

BLT Pasta Salad

A delicious pasta salad that eats like a meal!  Juicy tomatoes, crisp bacon and fresh lettuce in a cool ranch dressing!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
buy hollys book

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
  • 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

4.96 from 102 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 502 | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 628mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 755IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American

REPIN this Easy Pasta Salad Recipe

BLT Pasta Salad with a title

 

Categories:

,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

4.96 from 102 votes (79 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments