BLT Pasta Salad

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

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! It’s packed with flavor and a fun twist on classic macaroni salad.

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 Taste 

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 -  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: You’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.

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.

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.

Preparation and Storage

Make Ahead: 

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: It’s best to enjoy this BLT Pasta Salad fresh. Its ingredients, including mayonnaise, do not freeze well.

 

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.

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

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