This simple Bacon, Tomato, & Zucchini Pasta Salad is easy to make and packed full of delicious summer flavors. It’s the perfect side dish to any summer meal!
Bacon, Tomato, & Zucchini Pasta Salad
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Pasta salads are just one of my favorite things! Not the classic macaroni salad you’re thinking of, loaded down with mayonnaise, but bright, veggie-filled pasta salads, packed with summer flavors.
And when you add bacon to it, doesn’t that just make everything better?
I don’t know about you, but we are always looking for ways to get rid of zucchini. We grow some in our garden… if you’ve ever grown zucchini you’ll know that it’s sort of the never-ending vegetable. And everyone else around here grows zucchini in their gardens, too! John has to be careful when he goes out on farm calls. Sometimes he’ll get back to his truck after working on the animals and find zucchini sitting in the passenger seat!
This pasta salad is an easy way to use up some of that fresh zucchini. And the garden-fresh tomatoes… who doesn’t love a tomato fresh out of the garden? In fact, this pasta salad is so good, I’ll bet you even go buy some zucchini and tomatoes in the off-season just so you can make it again!
Tips for Cooking Bacon, Tomato, & Zucchini Pasta Salad
- While you’re waiting for the water to boil for your pasta, cook the bacon in the oven. It comes out flat, crisp, and perfect every time!
- I used Campanelle pasta for this recipe. You can use any shape you want, but one that is a little sturdier will hold up better with these vegetables. (Bow tie pasta, for example, might fall apart with the bigger pieces of zucchini and tomato.)
- Cook your pasta to 1 minute past al dente doneness. In sauces or hot dishes, I like al dente pasta. But in a pasta salad, the pasta needs to be cooked just a little bit longer.
- I used dried herbs to season the zucchini, but you can also use fresh herbs if you have them handy! Use this guide to help convert the amount of dried herbs to the amount of fresh herbs you’ll need.
- Refrigerate the finished pasta salad just until it’s cool. And do your best to finish it up as soon as possible! As it sits in the refrigerator, the tomatoes will start to lose their flavor and develop a mealy texture.
Enjoy!
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Printable Recipe Card for Bacon, Tomato, & Zucchini Pasta Salad
Tomato, Bacon, and Zucchini Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups Campanelle pasta uncooked
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large zucchini cut into bite-size chunks (about 2-3 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 to matoes cut into bite-size chunks
- 8 slices bacon cooked crisp and roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large stockpot according to package directions to 1 minute past al dente doneness. (If the package calls for 10 minutes to al dente, cook pasta for 11 minutes).
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 Tablespoons canola oil in a large saucepan. Add zucchini, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.
- Cook zucchini, stirring frequently, until tender.
- When pasta is done, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss cooked pasta with 1 Tablespoon canola oil to prevent sticking.
- Add zucchini, tomatoes, and bacon to pasta. Toss to mix.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve cold.
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