BLT Pasta Salad is a delicious Summer pasta salad idea! Bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes with farfalle pasta and creamy dressing (no mayo option too!) are like your favorite BLT sandwich toppings in a bowl.
It's officially Summer pasta salad time! One of our favorite salads is my Dill Pickle Potato Salad. It's perfect for picnics too! Also, quick and easy Italian Pasta Salad.
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Why You'll Love This Salad
This BLT Pasta Salad has to appear on your table this season. It's all of your favorite BLT sandwich toppings, tossed with cooked farfalle pasta and creamy Ranch dressing. Crazy delicious!
This BLT Pasta Salad is a great option for lunch to work or a trip meal! Crispy bacon (baked in the oven), chopped or torn Romaine lettuce, and chopped tomatoes (I used on-the-vine type but Roma would be good too) are tossed with cooked and cooled pasta and creamy dressing.
Ingredients:
- pasta: any bite-size pasta works, I used farfalle (aka bow tie);
- Romaine lettuce: my favorite in this recipe but iceberg works too;
- tomatoes: use the kind you enjoy the most, on the vine or grape are my favorite;
- bacon: choose your favorite, turkey works too;
- red onion: adds great flavor and texture; if you don't like red onion raw, just skip it;
- Ranch dressing: flavorful base for the dressing;
- sour cream: optional but recommended; adds tang and creaminess;
- mayonnaise: a classic ingredient of any BLT sandwich adds that signature flavor to the dressing;
- apple cider vinegar: basic ingredient of any dressing; adds tang.
How to make BLT Pasta Salad?
My favorite Summer salad is inspired by my favorite sandwich: the BLT. Quick, easy, and perfect for picnics and as a side dish to any grilled meat or BBQ. You will love it!
- Cook pasta according to the instructions on the box. Drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Place salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir together the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad. Toss gently to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve or serve right away.
Helpful Tips!
- Whenever I make a salad for my family, I always add red onion. It's our favorite and adds great flavor and texture to the dish. Feel free to skip it if you are not a fan of onions.
- Any type of bite-size pasta will work here. I like the look of Farfalle but Rotini will be awesome as well. If you are missing bread, add croutons!
- If you need a mayo substitute, replace it with sour cream or Ranch. Just make sure you have about ¾ cup of the creamy mixture to toss the salad with. It's the perfect amount in my opinion.
Recipe FAQs:
Since we are using fresh lettuce in this pasta salad, it is best to use it up the same day you make it. If you need to take it somewhere (a potluck or a gathering), I recommend keeping the chopped salad in a separate container and combine with the pasta salad upon your arrival.
To make this pasta salad in advance, prep all ingredients, except lettuce, and make the dressing to store in a jar or a bottle. This prevents lettuce from wilting. Assemble the salad before serving for the best texture and flavor!
More salad recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
BLT Pasta Salad recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked farfalle pasta
- 4 cups chopped or torn Romaine lettuce
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- 4 slices bacon cooked to crispy, chopped
- ½ cup chopped red onion
!for the dressing:
- ¼ cup Ranch dressing
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to instructions on the box. Drain, rinse with cold water. Set aside.2 cups uncooked farfalle pasta
- Place salad ingredients in a large bowl.4 cups chopped or torn Romaine lettuce, 1 ½ cup chopped tomatoes, 4 slices bacon, ½ cup chopped red onion
- In a small bowl, stir together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad. Toss gently to coat.¼ cup Ranch dressing, ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Refrigerate until ready to serve or serve right away.
Video
Notes
- You can use any bite-size pasta you like. Rotini is a fantastic option!
- Feel free to skip the onion, if you are not a fan.
- For a mayo-free option, replace mayonnaise with more sour cream or Ranch dressing. Just make sure to make ¾ cup of mixture. You can also use healthier options, like avocado mayo.
- Feel free to use more bacon!
- I used on-the-vine tomatoes for this salad. Roma is another great option. You can also use cherry tomatoes.
- You can use white vinegar but I highly recommend apple cider vinegar in cooking.
Jane says
My husband loved this salad. I thought it needed a little more punch with seasoning but I don't know what. I will definitely make it again.
Sue says
Made this for my lunch for the week! Just cut up the lettuce and stored in separate bag then added it each day. Some days added a bit of shredded cheese. Nice and fresh! Great salad
Linda says
Enjoy making and eating this salad often!! Just curious, why do we add vinegar?
Mollie says
Soooo good....I made it for just myself , so I only added half the lettuce to half the pasta mix and dressed dressed that portion. I saved the remainder in separate containers so the lettuce wouldn't become wilted over night. It was just as good, if not better, the next serving!
Lisa says
I am planning to try this, this weekend. Looks delicious! I am not understanding how much tomato to include. It says 1,5 cups. Can you explain what that means? Thank you!!
dianna Elsby-Henderson says
Made it today to go BBQ chicken tonight. Have it in the fridge chillin. Every 30 minutes or so, I go and stir it and have a big spoon full. It is delish! Can't wait for my husband to try it with dinner. Thanks Anna! This is a keeper!
Toni says
Really what could be better? My favorite sandwich in a pasta salad?! So delicious.
wilhelmina says
Love this salad! It is always the first to go when I make it!
Matt Taylor says
This looks absolutely amazing and super easy to make. I can't wait to try it. 🙂
Holly pearson says
How about cheese driver add sharp cheese or any kind of cheese to this dish?
Anna says
Hi Holly! Feel free to add any cheese you like.
Sara Welch says
What a delicious looking recipe! A restaurant worthy dish, indeed! Looking forward to making this for dinner tomorrow!
Anna says
Thanks, Sara!
Kristyn says
One of the best side dishes ever or even main dish! I could eat this everyday! Easy & refreshing!
Anna says
Thanks, Kristyn!
Katie says
Full of flavor! Love it!
Anna says
Thank you, Katie!
Kara says
Such a tasty salad! I made it with spiral noodles because that's what I had on hand. We had some garden fresh tomatoes, and that made it even more incredible!
Anna says
I am so glad you like it! Thanks, Kara!
Krissy Allori says
This looks so good! I just love bacon added to almost anything.
Anna says
Same here! 🙂 Thanks, Krissy!
Janet bell says
Adding all ingredients and leaving overnight thru day is ok? I want to add dressing tonight, it won’t be soggy tomorrow night?
Jessie says
Spring is coming! Cannot wait to be making this recipe!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yay! I hope you love it!
kristi says
I'm concerned about the lettuce getting wilty from the dressing. Should this be served right away, or can I make ahead and eat on it all week?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Kristi! If you want to meal prep it for a whole week, I would definitely wrap the lettuce separately or chop it before eating. Hope this helps!
Dot says
This recipe got great reviews when I took it to a friends house. Did add a few things thought, 1 chopped avocado, 1 teaspoon of dill & to the dressing 1 tablespoon sugar
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
That's awesome! Thank you so much!!
Kayla says
What is one serving size of this dish?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Kayla! It's about 1 and 1/2 cups.
Kayla says
Thank you so much!
Debra says
Use baby spinach instead of lettuce is good also.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yes! Love spinach in this salad too!
Pat says
I just made this tonight to take to the Concert in the Park tomorrow night. A little taste before I put it in the fridge and wow! Takes just like a delicious BLT!! Thank you for posting!! It is going to be a go to recipe for me forever!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Pat! YAY! That's wonderful! I am so happy to know it was such a hit. Thank you!!
Martha says
How did the lettuce fare making it ahead? I want to make this for a gathering next weekend that is 3 hours away. I’d put the salad in a cooler of course but was hoping the lettuce would hold up.
Chelsey says
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! So easy and soooo delicious. I did use an entire pack of bacon.. why not, right? It's even great left over.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Entire bag of bacon - I love that!! Thank you, Chelsey!
Kentrellis J says
This salad is a huge hit with my family! I made a few substitutions since I have people who don't eat pork. I used uncured turkey bacon and substituted balsamic vinegar for apple cider vinegar. It was AMAZING!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I am so happy to know you loved this salad! Your substitutions sound delicious!
P. Hicks says
We made this salad and my whole family loved it and they all wanted the recipe so did a lot of my friends I have made it several times and will make it again great salad.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you! I am glad you love the recipe!
Alicia says
I made this for my siblings tonight as part of dinner and it was a huge hit, which is amazing because they're all extremely picky eaters. Without a doubt I'm definitely going to be making this again!
Mikki says
I use French onion dip instead of sour cream.. it has way more flavor.
Linda says
Could Miracle Whip be used in place of r eal mayonnaise
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Linda! If you like Miracle Whip in salads, feel free to use it. I prefer mayo. Hope this helps!
Claudia says
I am making it this week.
James says
Wow! This is a great healthier option to my bacon sandwiches 🙂
Joan says
I tried this last week. It was a HIT! Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Thanks!
Shirley says
I can't wait to try this one- we eat a lot of sandwiches and grilling over the summer and I don't see this not pairing with anything.
Megan says
You can't go wrong with pasta salad!
Jennifer says
There are so many wonderful flavors here, Anna! What a delicious pasta salad.
Carla says
Great salad! I served mine with slices of avocado on top. Hit of the party!
Sues says
Yum! This would be great to bring to a BBQ, but is also my idea of the perfect hot summer evening meal 🙂
cakespy says
This sounds SO good! I love the idea of adding that salty and sweet BLT flavor to pasta salad. It makes such perfect sense!