Name: BLT Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 12 oz. farfalle pasta noodles; 10 slices of bacon (cooked crisp and then broken into pieces); 1 pint cherry tomatoes (quartered); 2 cups of baby spinach; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/4 tsp. pepper; 2/3 cup ranch dressing; 1 heaping tbsp. mayonnaise; 2 tsp. dijon mustard; 2 tsp. Italian dressing; 1 tsp. olive oil

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This Easy BLT Pasta Salad is full of delicious flavors! Bacon, tomatoes, spinach, pasta and a creamy ranch dressing come together to make everyone’s favorite sandwich into pasta salad form!

If I had to pick one summer side dish to eat all year long, it would definitely be pasta salad. I seriously cannot get enough of it and love the versatility. There are just so many ways to make pasta salad so it never gets old! I usually prefer my pasta salad with an oil based dressing, but last year, my sister in law made this delicious BLT Pasta Salad for a picnic and I have been thinking of it ever since!

I am not much of a sandwich eater, but I do love a good BLT! There is nothing like a garden fresh tomato, with crispy bacon, and cold lettuce. When I was putting together this salad, I didn’t love the idea of lettuce sitting in the pasta for a few hours in the fridge, so I subbed spinach. The spinach is so much heartier and doesn’t wilt as quickly and adds a big punch of nutrition to this dish! It also adds some great color so you have a beautiful bowl of pasta salad to serve!

I debated on what to do for the dressing here. I don’t usually do creamy dressings so this was out of my comfort zone but I think I came up with a winning combination! A little mayo, a little dijon, and tangy ranch dressing. I even threw in just a smidge of bottled Italian dressing for some extra flavor and to thin out the dressing a little.

I served this easy dish for dinner and both my husband and I loved it, but the true shocker was that my five year old was in love with this meal! She is a pretty good eater, but she isn’t a fan of anything creamy. She doesn’t even like macaroni and cheese! So I was floored when she asked to try it and then loved it! You know a recipe is a winner when you can convert a five year old!

BLT Pasta Salad is the perfect side dish for your next BBQ or when you are looking for an easy dinner side dish! I hope your family loves this recipe as much as mine!

BLT Pasta Salad

Amanda Dorich

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Side Dish

Ingredients

12 oz. farfalle pasta noodles
10 slices of bacon cooked crisp and then broken into pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
2 cups of baby spinach
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

For the dressing:

2/3 cup ranch dressing
1 heaping tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. Italian dressing
1 tsp. olive oil

Instructions

Boil pasta according to instructions and drain well when finished.
While pasta cooks, add quartered tomatoes and cooked bacon to a mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, add all the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined.
Once pasta is finished, add it to the bowl of bacon and tomatoes. Stir well and then add half the dressing. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
One hour before serving, add the spinach and the remaining dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to the fridge until ready to serve.