BLT Pasta Salad

This easy BLT pasta salad recipe is a twist on the classic BLT sandwich! It includes crispy bacon, fresh juicy tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and cheddar cheese tossed with tender pasta in a creamy homemade ranch dressing, perfect for a summer BBQ spread or family potlucks!

Course Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 312kcal

Author Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

For the Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup buttermilk
1 packet ranch dressing packet dry mixture
¼ cup green onions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

For the Pasta Salad

8 ounces rotini pasta uncooked
1 cup romaine lettuce chopped
¾ cup cherry tomatoes halved
½ cup bacon crumbled
½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
¼ cup red onion finely sliced

Instructions

Make the Dressing

In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, buttermilk, ranch dressing packet, green onions, parsley, and vinegar and mix together thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup buttermilk, 1 packet ranch dressing packet, ¼ cup green onions, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Make the Pasta Salad

In a large pot, cook the pasta per the instructions on the box, approximately 9 minutes.
8 ounces rotini pasta
Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Be sure to drain as much water as possible then transfer to a large bowl.
Add the romaine, tomatoes, bacon, cheddar, and red onion to the pasta and toss.
1 cup romaine lettuce, ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cup bacon, ½ cup cheddar cheese, ¼ cup red onion
Pour the homemade dressing over the salad ingredients and gently stir to coat all the ingredients.

Notes

Swap the romaine lettuce for iceberg lettuce, arugula or baby spinach

Use regular milk or half-and-half instead of buttermilk.

I use Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix NOT the Ranch dip packet.

Use a bottled ranch instead of making the homemade ranch dressing.

Use shaved parmesan cheese.

Leave out the cheese and red onions if preferred.

Use grape tomatoes or even regular tomatoes diced into small chunks.

Use turkey bacon, chicken bacon or vegetarian bacon if desired.

Make-ahead directions:
If you would like to make this pasta salad ahead of time, add an additional ½ cup buttermilk to the dressing since the pasta will soak up the dressing as it sits.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days

Nutrition