• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Savory Nothings logo

  • Recipe Index
    • Easy Dinner Recipes
      • Slow Cooker
      • One Pot Meals
      • Quick Meals
      • Instant Pot
    • Side Dishes
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Small Meals
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Subscribe
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Easter
  • Holidays & Occasions
  • About
  • Subscribe
×

Home / Recipes / Side Dishes / BLT Pasta Salad

BLT Pasta Salad

25 minutes mins
| 1 Comment |
5 from 5 votes
Jump to Recipe 06/27/19 | Updated: 05/14/20 | by Nora

Bring this BLT Pasta Salad to your next potluck or BBQ party, and you’ll be the star of the buffet! Made with all the classic BLT sandwich ingredients, it’s a quick and easy side that’s sure to impress.

BLT Pasta Salad Pin 1

During summer, we basically live off pasta salads and grilled meat.

When it’s hot outside, boiling a pot of pasta is about all I can handle – and it’s so refreshing to eat!

It makes for the perfect grilling side dish, but it’s also a great lunch when you need something quick, easy and healthy.

How to Make BLT Pasta Salad:

blt pasta salad in a glass bowl with wooden salad tongues

How do you cook pasta for pasta salad?

Some people will tell you to cool the pasta for hours after cooking, or mix the pasta with the dressing and cool it that way for a salad…

But busy moms: Do you always manage to make your pasta salad 1-2 hours in advance? Because I definitely don’t.

So here is my super fast, foolproof and busy mom approved way of cooking pasta for a salad:

  • cook it just until al dente
  • drain it
  • rinse it under cold water until it has cooled down (please… don’t tell my husband, who is a former chef and grew up with Italian influences ?)

That way it’s ready to use right away, and you don’t even need to chill your pasta salad before serving if you’re lacking the time.

You’re welcome!

ingredients for blt pasta salad in a bowl

Can you make this without ranch dressing?

While I do LOVE this salad with my homemade ranch salad dressing, you don’t have to use ranch if you don’t like it.

It’s also great with a Honey Mustard Salad Dressing.

OR go with a simple White Balsamic Vinaigrette.

pouring ranch dressing over pasta salad

Can you make this pasta salad ahead of time?

You can – partly.

I really advise against adding the lettuce ahead of time.

You can assemble the rest of the pasta salad and keep it in the fridge up to a day in advance, but do yourself a favor and add the lettuce right before serving.

Otherwise it will be weird and limp.

Just remember, the smoky bacon flavor will get more intense, the longer the salad sits.

close up photo of blt pasta salad

I really do love most kinds of pasta salads (not the frozen pea and mayo kind of salads though, sorry every potluck I ever went to as a child), but this one is definitely a go-to favorite.

The crispy bacon definitely doesn’t hurt in this rating ?

blt pasta salad in a glass bowl

More Pasta Salads You’ll Love:

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Easy Italian Pasta Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad


Printable recipe

Printable Recipe Card
blt pasta salad in a glass bowl
Save Recipe Saved!

BLT Pasta Salad

Bring this BLT Pasta Salad to your next potluck or BBQ party, and you'll be the star of the buffet!
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 5 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 15 minutes mins
Cook 10 minutes mins
Total 25 minutes mins
Servings 8

Ingredients
 

Dressing:

  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt OR mayo OR sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon sugar optional for a sweeter dressing
  • ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • Black pepper to taste

Salad:

  • 1 pound bow tie pasta cooked and rinsed under cold water (drain well!)
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 heads baby romaine lettuce shredded
  • 12 slices bacon cooked until crispy and chopped

Instructions
 

  • Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a large salad bowl.
  • Add all salad ingredients and toss well. Serve immediately. (If you want to make it ahead, leave out the lettuce and add it right before serving. Chill the salad without lettuce for up to 1 day in the fridge).
Want to save this recipe?Create an account for free to start your personal recipe box. Save any recipe by tapping the heart in the bottom right corner.
Join Now

Notes

Feel free to double the dressing if you want a very creamy salad!

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 13gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 261mgPotassium: 379mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 960IUVitamin C: 13.8mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 1.4mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

Reader Interactions

dish with baked parmesan zucchini fries

< Previous Post

dark baking pan with coconut chicken

Next Post >

Add a Review or Ask a Question Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this recipe? Rate it:




Comments

  1. Kim says

    July 17, 2020 at 3:37 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! I took it to a work pot luck and everyone liked it. I added the lettuce and ranch dressing about an hour before serving and it worked out fine.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

welcome to

logo for the Savory Nothings brand

Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

More about me →

Summer Recipes

  • overhead closeup of broccoli salad in white bowl
    Loaded Broccoli Salad
  • overhead view of three bean salad in white salad bowl
    Perfect Three Bean Salad
  • overhead close up view of marinated and grilled salmon fillet with fork stuck in one piece
    Salmon Marinade
  • overhead view of greek orzo salad in white bowl
    Greek Orzo Salad

see all >

Popular

  • overhead close up view of garlic parmesan oven fried chicken piece on black pan
    Garlic Parmesan Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
  • overhead view of three oven baked chicken breasts in white casserole dish
    Oven Baked Chicken Breast
  • overhead close up photo of a piece of oven fried chicken on a black sheet pan
    Crispy Oven Fried Chicken
  • overhead close up photo of chocolate chip baked oats
    TikTok Baked Oats: 6 Ways!
  • white bowl with rigatoni bolognese
    One Pot Rigatoni Bolognese
  • chicken tacos on wooden platter
    Southwestern Crockpot Chicken Tacos
  • casserole dish with shepherd's pie
    Homemade Shepherd’s Pie
  • close up photo of a sliced banana bread
    Whole Wheat Cinnamon Crunch Banana Bread

Trending on Pinterest

  • Balsamic Chicken Marinade
  • Swedish Meatballs
  • Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
  • Instant Pot Pot Roast
  • Homemade Salisbury Steak
  • About
  • Contact

Footer

Footer

Follow Along













Recipes

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Sides
Dessert
Appetizers

Instant Pot
Slow Cooker
One Pot
Casseroles
Ground Beef
Chicken

Featured On

different logos of publications Savory Nothings' content has been featured on

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Work with Us

Copyright Savory Nothings © 2023

Made with lots of love and spices ♥︎
PRIVACY POLICY | ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT |
As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Yummly
  • Mix