This BLT pasta salad recipe is full of veggies, avocado, pasta and crispy bacon, all tossed in a cool and creamy dressing. The perfect easy meal or side dish that’s great for potlucks.
I love great salad recipes, especially in the summer time. Some of my favorites include Greek pasta salad, pesto pasta salad, and this irresistible BLT version.
Sometimes I am in dire need of a quick and easy dinner with minimal fuss. This BLT pasta salad is the perfect example, it’s made with just 7 ingredients and is ready in 20 minutes. It’s got all the flavors of a classic BLT sandwich but in salad form. This salad is the perfect main course or side dish, and is always the first thing to go at a potluck! Serve it with other warm weather favorites such as slow cooker ribs, smoked tri tip, or chicken soaked in chicken thigh marinade. You can also offer some corn on the cob recipes, and don’t forget the roasted figs with ice cream for dessert!
Table of Contents
BLT Pasta Salad Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need rotini pasta, bacon, cherry tomatoes, shredded romaine lettuce, avocado, ranch dressing and parsley.
How Do You Make BLT Pasta Salad?
Cook your pasta in a large pot to al dente, then drain the pasta and run cold water over it. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, and toss with the ranch dressing. Gently fold in the bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and avocado. Add a sprinkle of fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For BLT Pasta Salad
- I typically use rotini for this recipe, but any short variety of pasta will work – penne or farfalle are two great options.
- If you don’t have romaine lettuce on hand, iceberg or even baby spinach would be great substitutes.
- Chop your veggies and bacon into bite-sized pieces for the best results.
- Look for firm but ripe avocados so that they don’t get mushy in the salad when tossed.
- I recommend serving this dish soon after it’s made so that the lettuce doesn’t wilt and the avocado does not turn brown. If you need to make this in advance, toss the pasta and tomatoes with the dressing then add the bacon, avocado and lettuce right before you plan to eat. You can also toss your avocado in a little lemon juice before adding it to the salad to help preserve the green color.
- I find that creamy ranch dressing adds so much more flavor when compared to a classic mayonnaise dressing. You can use homemade ranch dressing or a high quality store bought refrigerated ranch dressing.
Quick Tip
You can use pre-cooked bacon and pre-shredded lettuce if you’re looking to save on prep time.
Recipe FAQs
Pasta salad typically stays fresh for 3 days in the refrigerator when it’s stored in an airtight container. This BLT pasta salad has a shorter shelf life because the avocado will turn brown and the lettuce will wilt over time. I recommend storing BLT pasta salad for no more than 6-8 hours.
It’s best to let the pasta cool before you make it into a salad. Warm pasta can wilt fresh veggies and lettuce and melt cheese when that’s not the desired effect! Run your cooked pasta under cool water so that it’s ready to be tossed in a salad.
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Flavor Variations
While I love this salad as-is, you can add other ingredients to the mix to make it more of a main course meal.
- Protein: Add diced cooked chicken, shrimp, cubed cheddar cheese or ham for a heartier salad.
- Vegetables: You can add diced red onion, artichoke hearts, bell pepper, black olives or sliced cucumber. Try using arugula or baby spinach instead of romaine lettuce.
- Herbs: Instead of parsley try chopped dill, green onions or basil.
- Cobb Style: Add chopped deli turkey, hard boiled eggs and crumbled blue cheese.
- Mexican Style: Stir in black beans, corn, 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 teaspoon chili powder.
This BLT pasta salad is especially delicious in the summer when tomatoes are ripe and in season. However, I’ve been known to serve it year round, because it’s a classic flavor combination that can’t be beat!
More Great Salad Options
Cucumber Salad
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Strawberry Spinach Salad
16 mins
Israeli Salad Recipe
11 mins
Greek Tortellini Salad
25 mins
Broccoli Salad Recipe
11 mins
BLT Pasta Salad Video
Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb rotini or other short pasta
- 1 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 cups shredded romaine letuce
- 2 avocados peeled, pitted and diced
- 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta and run cold water over the pasta until cool.
- Place the pasta in a bowl and toss with dressing. Add the bacon, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and avocado. Stir gently to coat.
- Sprinkle with parsley then serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use pre-cooked bacon and pre-shredded lettuce if you’re looking to save even more time.
- I typically use rotini for this recipe, but any short variety of pasta will work – penne or farfalle are two great options.
- Look for firm but ripe avocados so that they don’t get mushy in the salad when tossed.
- I typically use a high quality store bought refrigerated ranch dressing or homemade ranch dressing.
This pasta salad is super delicious. I don’t often serve pasta salads for dinner but this one was a winner and my entire family loved it. I’ll definitely be making this again.
I made this BLT pasta salad for my family and they all loved it. Thanks for this delicious recipe.
So many fresh and delicious flavours in this. I really enjoyed it. It’s such a great summertime lunch!
We made this pasta salad alongside our burger night dinner tonight, and it was great! Easy to make, not too heavy, and really delicious!
This was the perfect pasta salad! The bacon really put it over the top! Thank you!