BLT Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is traditional summertime food often served at cookouts and BBQs.

It can also be found at potlucks and public dinners because it is easy and economical.

But that doesn’t mean pasta salad needs to be boring. This BLT pasta salad recipe is sweet and tangy with all the goodness you’d expect from bacon, tomatoes, and mayo.

This BLT Pasta Salad recipe is perfect as a side dish or main course!

Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.

Why I love Tried and True BLT Pasta Salad?

• This pasta salad takes the wonderful flavors of bacon, lettuce, and tomato and gives back a delectable dish with an outstanding taste.
• Pasta salads are the perfect meal to eat on a warm day. It’s filling and refreshing.
• This is also a pasta salad that stretches. One recipe can feed a lot of people.

What are the five mistakes to avoid pasta salad?

• Salt the water before you boil the pasta.
• Properly cook the pasta. Undercooked pasta will be too hard and overcooked pasta will be too mushy.
• Use the right types of pasta. For a cold pasta salad, you want to use pasta that can “hug” the mayo dressing. Elbow macaroni and corkscrew pasta are great for this purpose.
• Make the pasta right before you make the salad. If it sits around too long, it can get soggy.
• After you put the mayo dressing together, be sure to taste it before adding it to the pasta. If you need more of something, add it. A bland dressing will make a bland pasta salad, too.

Do you rinse pasta for cold pasta salad?

You want to rinse the pasta for cold pasta salad. However, you need to rinse the pasta in cold water to stop the cooking process. Make sure to drain it well before bringing the rest of the ingredients together. 

How to serve Tried and True BLT Pasta Salad?

You’ll want to gobble up every piece of elbow macaroni. So, try serving this pasta salad in bowls to allow ultimate scooping.

Cooking Tips:

• You can serve this immediately or let it sit in the fridge for a bit and let the flavors meld a little more.
• Dice your tomatoes into equal portions for even distribution.
• You can use a food grater or food processor to quickly shred the lettuce.

Ingredients:

• Macaroni shells pasta
• Baby tomatoes
• Bacon
• Green onions
• Sugar substitute
• Apple cider vinegar
• Fat-free mayonnaise
• Plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• Dry Ranch seasoning mix
• Worcestershire sauce
• Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make BLT Pasta Salad:

Step 1. Cook the pasta as directed on the box.

Step 2. In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, crumbled bacon, sliced tomatoes, and green onions.

Step 3. Toss to combine.

Step 4. In a small bowl, add the sugar, vinegar, mayonnaise, Greek Yogurt, Ranch seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt and pepper.

Step 5. Whisk to combine.

Step 6. Add the dressing to the pasta mixture.

Step 7. Mix to combine.

Step 8. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

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How to store Tried and True BLT Pasta Salad?

This pasta salad has a mayonnaise-based dressing, so you will want to quickly refrigerate portions that aren’t eaten. Using an airtight container is an efficient way to store leftover blt pasta salad.

How to reheat Tried and True BLT Pasta Salad?

This is a cold pasta salad. So, there’s no need to reheat it. Simply pull it out of the fridge and serve it up.

How much does Tried and True BLT Pasta Salad last on the fridge?

This pasta salad will stay fresh in the fridge for about 3 days. While some pasta salads can keep for up to 5 days, remember that this one has mayo and, therefore, has a shorter fridge shelf life.

Can I make ahead Tried and True BLT Pasta Salad?

You can make this pasta salad the day before you plan to serve it. However, making it the same day may be ideal because it could get soggy if it sits in the fridge for too long.

Related Recipes You Might Enjoy:

The Best Macaroni Salad Recipe – Here’s another pasta salad recipe that will knock your socks off and satisfy your taste buds!

BLT Pasta Salad – Another variation of BLT pasta salad that you can try and compare to this one. Don’t worry. This one is delicious, too!