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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Side Dish Recipes

    BLT Pasta Salad

    Published: Jan 31, 2022 ยท Updated: Nov 16, 2023 by Tammilee ยท This post may contain affiliate links

    Easy BLT Pasta Salad Recipe that takes minutes to prepare. You will love the combination of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and pasta with mayo dressing. It is the perfect salad side dish for potlucks, church picnics, or family dinners.

    BLT Pasta Salad over a white bowl with macaroni, bacon, green onion, lettuce, and tomato

    Contents show
    BLT Pasta Salad
    Equipment Needed
    How to make BLT Pasta Salad
    Preparation and Storage
    Recipe Variations + Tips for the Best BLT Pasta Salad
    What to Serve with BLT Pasta Salad
    When to Serve
    Great Recipe Collections
    BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
    Ingredients
    Instructions
    Kitchen Tools
    Nutrition

    BLT Pasta Salad

    This pasta salad is the best cold pasta salad! It's so easy to make, and it tastes incredible! The first time I made this recipe, my husband inhaled it! We were supposed to see some loved ones, and I was bringing them some, but he was unwilling to part with it.

    Don't worry; they got a big bowl of it the next time I made it. This salad is 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 in your kitchen.

    I have been on a BLT kick so far this year. I just made a BLT Dip, an epic appetizer, and now this BLT macaroni salad is a killer side dish.

    We love this easy pasta salad recipe! Itโ€™s packed with flavor and a fun twist on classic macaroni salad.

    Best Foods Mayo, macaroni dry pasta, lettuce, three tomatoes, a package of bacon, and green onions

    Ingredients

    Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make an epic BLT Pasta Salad! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

    • Elbow Macaroni
    • Mayonnaise
    • Tomato
    • Green Onions
    • Lettuce
    • Bacon
    • Salt and Black Pepper to Tasteย 

    Optional Add-Ins: Red Onion, Sour Cream, Olive Oil, Grilled Chicken, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Avocado, Homemade Croutons, Parmesan Cheese, Celery

    Tomatoes - You can use cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Beefsteak Tomatoes, grape 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.

    Pasta -ย  You want to use a bite-size pasta

    Equipment Needed

    • Large Bowl: You want to use a LARGE bowl to mix everything. This recipe makes a ton, and a small or medium bowl will likely be too small. We used the large red bowl in this set, which worked perfectly.
    • Wooden Spoons: I find large wooden spoons the easiest way to mix everything.
    • Large Skillet, Saucepan, or Pot: Youโ€™ll need one to cook the macaroni or pasta you choose.

    How to make BLT Pasta Salad

    I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.

    Macaroni cooking in a dark skillet on the stove top

    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. Drain the cooked pasta.

    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.

    Large dollop of mayo on cooked macaroni in a glass bowl

    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.

    Diced tomatoes and green onions in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon

    Mayo covered macaroni and tomatoes in a glass bowl

    Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. While the pasta salad is chilling you can cook the bacon so it is ready.

    Bacon pieces and lettuce in a red bowl with wooden spoons

    BLT Macaroni Salad in a red bowl with wooden spoons

    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.

    Preparation and Storage

    Make Ahead:ย 

    Store this BLT Macaroni Pasta Salad in the fridge. If you are making it before you plan to eat it, I would wait to add the bacon and lettuce until just before serving so they stay crunchy.

    Storage: When refrigerated in an airtight container, leftovers can remain for up to three days.

    Freezing/How to Freeze: Itโ€™s best to enjoy this BLT Pasta Salad fresh. Its ingredients, including mayonnaise, do not freeze well.

    ย 

    Recipe Variations + Tips for the Best BLT Pasta Salad

    Substitutions:

    You can use cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or any other available tomatoes.

    I use whatever lettuce is in the refrigerator to make this pasta salad. It is really up to you if you want to use iceberg or romaine lettuce.

    If you do not like mayo, you can change it out for ranch dressing.

    You can make this pasta salad with pork bacon, turkey bacon, or veggie bacon. For a quick and easy bacon, check out our air fryer bacon.

    You can use any bite-size pasta.

    Vegetarian Option: Replace the bacon with a meatless alternative to make this recipe vegetarian.

    Vegan Option: In addition to replacing the bacon, vegans should replace the mayonnaise with a plant-based substitute to make this recipe vegan.

    Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta to make this recipe safe for a gluten-free diet.

    Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes six servings and scales easily to your desired yield.

    Make It Spicy: Replace the mayonnaise with our Japanese Spicy Mayo to make a Spicy BLT Pasta Salad!

    Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 4 grams of sugar per serving. Use diced tomatoes with no sugar added to make it sugar-free.

    BLT Pasta Salad over bacon, macaroni, and green onions in a white bowl

    What to Serve with BLT Pasta Salad

    This BLT Pasta Salad has all the goodness of a BLT sandwich in one satisfying cold salad you can serve year-round! Here are some pairing suggestions to inspire your menu planning.

    Sides: Broccoli Casserole, Apple Stuffing, Funeral Potatoes, Sauerkraut Salad, Southern Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Air Fryer Baked Potato, Jiffy Cornbread with Sour Cream, Sweet Potato Casserole with Candied Yams, Southern Style Green Beans, CrockPot Bourbon Baked Beans

    Main Dishes: Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, Stovetop Meatloaf, Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers, CrockPot Rosemary Pork, Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings, CrockPot Macaroni & Cheese with Ham, CrockPot Salisbury Steak, CrockPot Ham & Cheese Grits

    Desserts: Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake, Lemon Bars, Lemon Icebox Pie, Best Rice Krispie Treats, Bisquick Blueberry Cobbler, Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding, Bisquick Apple Cobbler, Bisquick Peach Cobbler, Molasses Cookies, Banana Bread, Classic Chocolate Brownies

    Drinks: Coke Slushie, Red Robin Freckled Lemonade, CopyCat McDonald's Sweet Tea

    When to Serve

    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Potlucks
    • Cookouts
    • Family and Friend Gatherings

    BLT Macaroni Salad in a white bowl next to a wooden spoon and cloth napkin

    Great Recipe Collections

    45+ Recipes with Bacon! The Best Bacon Recipes

    70+ Easy Potluck Recipes for Your Next Gathering

    Easy Side Dishes for Ham

    Sides for Ribs (What to Serve with BBQ Ribs)ย 

    BBQ Sides (Easy Barbecue Side Dishes)

    Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.

    Follow Tammilee Tips on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for our recipe posts.

    BLT pasta salad garnished with green onion in a white bowl

    BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

    Easy BLT Pasta Salad Recipe is the perfect side dish. Super easy to make and it tastes amazing.
    4 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Refrigeration: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 562kcal
    Author: Tammilee Tips

    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
    • ยผ 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

    Kitchen Tools

    • Large Mixing Bowl

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 562 Calories from Fat 360
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 40g62%
    Saturated Fat 8g50%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 19g
    Monounsaturated Fat 11g
    Cholesterol 35mg12%
    Sodium 496mg22%
    Potassium 307mg9%
    Carbohydrates 38g13%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 304IU6%
    Vitamin C 6mg7%
    Calcium 36mg4%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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    About Tammilee

    Lifestyle blogger who travels the world and drinks too much Chai tea. Travel blogger, award winning photographer, sunset hunter, Birkenstock girl, bird nerd
    You can find Tammilee on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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