Easy BLT Pasta Salad Recipe that takes minutes to prepare. You will love the combination of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and pasta with mayo dressing. This is the perfect salad side dish for potlucks, church picnics, or family dinner.
BLT Pasta Salad
This is the best cold pasta salad! So easy to make and it tastes amazing! The first time I made this recipe my husband inhaled it! We were supposed to go to see his family and I was going to bring them some but he was not willing to part with it.
Don't worry they ended up getting a big bowl of it the next time I made it. I like to think of this salad as a BLT Sandwich with the bread switched out for pasta. I like to use elbow macaroni because it is bite-sized but you can use bow tie pasta or any that you have on hand.
I have been on a BLT kick so far this year. I just made a BLT Dip that is an epic appetizer and now this BLT macaroni salad which is a killer side dish.
Ingredients
- Elbow Macaroni
- Mayonnaise
- Tomato
- Green Onions
- Lettuce
- Bacon
- Salt and Pepper
Optional Add ins - Red onion, sour cream, olive oil, grilled chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, homemade croutons,
Tomatoes - You can use cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Beefsteak Tomatoes or any that you have available.
Lettuce - I use whatever lettuce we have in the refrigerator to make this pasta salad. It is really up to you if you want to use iceberg or romaine lettuce.
Mayonnaise - If you are not a fan of mayo you can change it out for ranch dressing.
Bacon - This can be made with pork bacon, turkey bacon, or even veggie bacon. For a quick and easy bacon check out our air fryer bacon.
Equipment Needed
Large Bowl - You want to use a LARGE bowl to mix everything together. This recipe makes a ton and a small or medium bowl will most likely be to small. We used the large red bowl in this set and it worked perfectly.
Wooden Spoons - I find large wooden spoons the easiest way to mix everything together.
How to make BLT Pasta Salad
Step 1 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to cook the pasta. Make sure to cook the pasta to al dente. Rinse the pasta when it done so it stops cooking and you remove the starch from the pasta. This should only be done for pasta being used cold.
Chop the tomatoes and green onion.
Step 2 - In a LARGE bowl add the pasta, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and green onions. Stir to combine until evenly coated with mayonnaise.
I like to add the mayonnaise first and toss it with the pasta so it evenly coats all the noodles before adding in the tomatoes and green onions.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. While the pasta salad is chilling you can cook the bacon so it is ready.
Chop bacon and lettuce right before serving this BLT Pasta Salad. Add the chopped bacon and lettuce to the bowl and mix together. Garnish with a few bacon pieces and green onions.
Recipe Tips
Store this BLT Macaroni Pasta Salad in the refrigerator. If you are making it ahead of time I would not add the bacon and lettuce until just before serving so they stay crunchy.
Great Salad Recipes
We love pairing this side dish with ham dinner or as a rib side dish.
Do you love recipes? Check out our copy cat recipes, dessert recipes, and our Crock Pot Recipes.
Follow Tammilee Tips on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for all of our recipe posts.
BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Elbow Macaroni Measure uncooked, then Cooked and Drained
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Cup Diced Tomatoes
- 3-4 Cups Lettuce shredded
- 8-10 Bacon Cooked and Chopped
- ¼ Cup green onions sliced
Instructions
- Cook macaroni until al dente, rinse with cold water and set to the side.
- Cook bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate, set aside
- Combine cooked macaroni, mayonnaise, tomato, and green onions in a bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Add lettuce and bacon, stir together, enjoy
Leave a Reply