Easy BLT Pasta Salad Recipe Perfect for Summer Gatherings
By Laura
BLT Pasta Salad: All the Flavor of a BLT, Perfect for Summer!
All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.
One of my favorite things about summer is a big ol’ juicy BLT sandwich. But until those gorgeous summer tomatoes come in, I’ll be enjoying that BLT flavor in salad form.
This BLT Pasta Salad gives me all that creamy, tomatoey, bacony flavor I love but in a cold pasta salad form. Plus, it’s great for all your summer BBQs, picnics, and potlucks.
So, if you haven’t tried this classic summer pasta salad, put it on your list!
"This was easy and DELICIOUS. I personally will always make and refrigerate for awhile before eating.
The flavor explodes when you give it time to cool and settle into the noodles in the fridge. This is a keeper I will be putting into my rotation, especially for summer gatherings."
Samara
Easy Recipe for BLT Pasta Salad
Okay, just in case you’ve never experienced the beautiful simplicity of a BLT sandwich, let’s start there. "BLT" stands for "bacon lettuce tomato." For this BLT pasta salad, I keep the core flavors the same, but I flesh it out just a bit.
Lettuce can be a bit too delicate for pasta salad, so I used fresh spinach instead (I think it holds up better and has better color and texture for a pasta salad). To give the dressing a little more flavor than just plain mayo, I add a little ranch dressing, lemon juice for zing, and some salt and pepper.
I also added a little diced red onion for flavor and texture. It’s still super simple and totally delish!
Recipe Success Tips!
- You can use any short pasta shape for this recipe, like rotini, small shells, macaroni, orecchiette, cavatappi, or farfalle (bowtie). I went for bowtie because I thought the shape was super cute in this salad!
- If you don’t love the bite of raw onion, add the diced onion to a bowl of very cold (or iced) water while you cook the bacon. This will take the raw edge off and mellow the flavor. Drain and dry it once the bacon is done.
- Add any other veggies you love! I think fresh (cooked) corn, diced bell pepper, or cucumbers would be great. You could also add some romaine lettuce (just before serving to keep it crisp) if you want more L in your BLT pasta salad.
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
Cook the bacon: Begin by cooking 8oz. of bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it is brown and crispy.
Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Once cooled, chop or crumble the bacon into smaller pieces.
Make the dressing: While the bacon is cooking, make the salad dressing. Combine ¾ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup ranch dressing, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper.
Set the dressing aside.
Cook the pasta: Add a tablespoon of salt to a large pot of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add 12oz.
bowtie pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender (7-8 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander.
Give it a quick rinse with cool water to cool it off, then let it drain very well.
Prep the veggies: While the pasta is cooking and draining, slice one pint of grape tomatoes in half and finely dice ¼ of a red onion (about ⅓ cup diced).
Roughly chop 2 packed cups of fresh spinach into bite-sized pieces.
Assemble: Once the pasta is cooled and well drained, transfer it to a large bowl and add the spinach, tomatoes, onions, and dressing.
Serve: Stir until everything is evenly combined and coated in dressing. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes for the flavors to blend a little more, then give it one more stir before serving.
So summery!
Serving Suggestions
I think this BLT pasta salad is best once everything’s had time to cool down, so I always pop it in the fridge for a bit before serving. It’s great as a side or a light main.
If I’m making it a meal, I’ll slice up some pan-fried chicken and lay it on top. It’s also totally giving BBQ and potluck energy, so I’d absolutely serve it with all my favorite cookout foods.
I’m thinking grilled corn, chips and dip, pulled pork, and grilled BBQ chicken. It also pairs well with a sandwich, like a chicken club or a veggie melt.
BLT Pasta Salad
466kcal
Ingredients
- 8220 oz.g bacon
- 3/4170 cupml mayonnaise
- 1/460 cupml ranch dressing
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 12340 oz.g bowtie pasta
- 1 pintg grape tomatoes
- 1/4 red onion
- 260 cupsg fresh spinach ((packed $0.46))
Method
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Once cooled, chop or crumble the bacon into smaller pieces.
- While the bacon is cooking, prepare the dressing. Stir together the mayonnaise, ranch dressing, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until tender (7-8 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse it briefly with cool water to cool it down, then let it drain very well.
- While the pasta is cooking and draining, prepare the vegetables. Slice the grape tomatoes in half, finely dice the red onion, and roughly chop the spinach.
- Once the pasta is cooled and drained, add it to a large bowl along with the spinach, tomatoes, onions, and dressing. Stir everything together until evenly combined and coated in dressing. Let the pasta sit for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to blend, then stir once more and serve.
Nutrition info is automatically calculated as an estimate — actual values may vary. Always check your ingredient labels for the most accurate results!
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Storage Instructions
This BLT pasta salad benefits from a little time in the fridge (you’ll want it to sit for 10-15 minutes for the best flavor), but it will eventually dry out, so you’ll want to make it the same day if you’re serving it to guests. I ate the leftovers for two days after I originally made the salad, and while it was still amazing the next day, it did get a little dry by day two.
So, for best results, make this salad the same day you plan to serve it, and try to eat up those leftovers within a day or so!
