This BLT Pasta Salad is everything you love about a classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad, tossed with tender pasta and a creamy ranch dressing. It’s the perfect summer pasta salad for cookouts, barbecues, or any warm-weather meal. If you love cold pasta salads like this one, be sure to check out my Cowboy Caviar Pasta Salad, too! It’s a bold and refreshing mix of pasta, fresh vegetables, and pepperoni tossed in a zesty Italian dressing.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pasta: I like rotini pasta because the spiral shape is perfect for holding creamy dressings and chunky mix-ins like bacon, tomatoes, and green onions. But any pasta you have on hand would work. After cooking the pasta, rinse it under cold water to cool it down and keep it from sticking.
- Mayonnaise: I use mayonnaise as the base for the creamy dressing; it gives the salad that classic BLT flavor. If you’re not a mayo fan, you can use plain Greek yogurt.
- Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix: For the most flavor, make a homemade dry ranch seasoning mix. (Then, you have it on hand for my best homemade ranch dressing, too!) Or, a 1-ounce store-bought packet would work. The seasoning adds so much flavor for such little effort!
- Tomatoes: We can’t have a BLT without the ‘T’! Cherry tomatoes add a sweet, juicy bite, and I like to cut them in half so they’re easier to mix in and eat. Grape tomatoes or chopped regular ones work, too.
- Green Onions: Green onions add a mild, fresh onion flavor without overpowering the salad. If you don’t have any, you can use finely chopped red onion, chives, or even a few spoonfuls of onion powder in the dressing instead.
- Bacon: To get the ‘B’ in the BLT, cook up a pound of bacon nice and crispy! Check out how to bake bacon for perfectly crispy bacon with easy clean-up every time.
- Lettuce: And, for the ‘L’, I used romaine lettuce. Iceberg or butter lettuce would also work.
Why You’ll Love This BLT Pasta Salad
This is the best of both a pasta salad and a BLT! You’ll love it because it’s easy to make, packed with classic bacon, lettuce, and tomato flavors, and perfectly creamy with a tangy ranch dressing. And, it makes a fresh, satisfying dish for any summer meal or picnic. All of the taste testers went back for seconds and couldn’t believe how simple, yet delicious, this salad was!
Which Pasta Works Best For Pasta Salad?
The best pasta for pasta salad is one that holds onto dressing and mix-ins well, like rotini, shells, or bowtie pasta. These shapes trap the sauce and ingredients, so every bite is full of flavor. But it’s not super important; you can use any pasta you like or have on hand. But, choosing the right pasta shape can make your pasta salad taste even better and help your recipe stand out.
Can I Make This BLT Pasta Salad Ahead Of Time?
Yes, you can make the BLT pasta salad ahead of time. Just keep the lettuce separate until you’re ready to eat so it stays fresh and crunchy. The rest of the salad can be mixed and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Variations and Mix-Ins for Your BLT Pasta Salad
One of the best things about this BLT pasta salad is how easy it is to customize to your taste. You can add extra vegetables like cucumbers or bell peppers for crunch. Or, instead of the bacon, use turkey bacon or cooked chicken (one of my taste-tester’s suggestions) for a different protein. And, go ahead and mix in cheese like shredded cheddar or feta for extra flavor. These simple variations make it easy to make the salad your own and keep it exciting every time you serve it.
How To Store BLT Pasta Salad
To keep your BLT pasta salad fresh and tasty, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, add the shredded lettuce just before serving to keep it crisp. The rest of the salad can be mixed and stored for up to 2 days. Give it a good stir before serving to redistribute the dressing.
BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box (16 ounces) rotini pasta
- 1 cup (232) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons dry ranch seasoning mix
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups (298 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 head romaine lettuce, finely shredded (about 3 cups)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and rinse and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside to cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, ranch seasoning mix, milk, and black pepper until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and crumbled bacon.
- Pour the dressing over the top and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Just before serving, gently fold in the shredded romaine lettuce.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
So simple, but so good! I loved this salad!
Elizabeth
I did not expect to love this salad so much! I thought the dressing was just right, not too much or too little. And, it just worked!
Bella
This salad looks so simple, but it is so delicious. I want to add grilled chicken to the salad next time.
Stephanie
This is so good for such a simple recipe. I will be making this one at home!
Not really a fan of romaine lettuce. Would green leaf be a good substitute? Otherwise, I am looking forward to trying this recipe!
You can leave it out or pick whatever greens you’d prefer! 🙂