Do you want a different way to eat a BLT, or do you need an easy side dish? This BLT Pasta Salad is perfect. It’s packed with flavor and lots of veggies.
BLT Pasta Salad
{Referral links are used in this post.}
BLT sandwiches are so easy to make, and are a staple in our house in the summer. But a plain old BLT sandwich can get a little boring, so I’m always looking for a way to make it more interesting. (Although, really, bacon and tomato by themselves are pretty darn exciting!)
We love these B.L.A.T. sandwiches, but I wanted something a little different. This BLT Pasta Salad was a big hit! It’s best with garden-fresh tomatoes, but if it’s not garden season where you are, grave a few tomatoes from the grocery store. It will be just as good!
I chose Campanelle pasta for this pasta salad. I love the shape of this pasta, and it’s great in a salad like this. You could also use rotini if you can’t find Campanelle. Check out this post for some ideas of when to use which pasta shape.
When I’m cooking a lot of bacon (this recipe calls for 12-16 ounces of bacon), I like to cook it in the oven. It takes a while (20-30 minutes), but that means that I can get the pasta cooking and get my lettuce and tomatoes chopped without having to babysit the bacon on the stove. Plus, it doesn’t splatter much in the oven, so there’s less to clean up!
This pasta salad was pretty great with just mayonnaise, but I knew it could be better. Adding a tiny bit of salt and some herbs made it even better! I used dried herbs from my spice cabinet, but if you have fresh herbs you can use those instead. (See the printable recipe card below for substitution guidelines.)
Enjoy!
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
- How to use Different Types of Pasta
- How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
- Summer Fruits & Vegetables in Season
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for BLT Pasta Salad
BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1- pound Campanelle pasta rotini is another great choice
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12-16 ounces bacon
- 1 Romaine lettuce heart
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. (We like ours al dente, but many people prefer pasta to be cooked more well done in a salad.)
- When the pasta is done, drain, and set aside in a large bowl. Gently toss with the vegetable oil so the pasta doesn't stick together.
- In the meantime, cook the bacon until it is crisp. Chop into bite-size pieces.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes into bite-size pieces.
- Add the bacon and tomato to the pasta.
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, salt, basil, and oregano.
- Add the mayonnaise mixture to the pasta and gently toss to coat. Use a soft silicone spatula to keep the pasta from breaking up.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Just before serving, roughly chop lettuce into bite-sized pieces, add to the pasta mixture, and toss to mix.
Shared on:
[…] BLT Pasta Salad […]