Easy BLT Pasta Salad Recipe (Creamy & Delicious)

This BLT Pasta Salad recipe has all the BLT flavors that you love combined in one of the most delicious pasta salads ever. The fresh lettuce, crispy bacon, and creamy dressing all give off the flavors of a classic BLT sandwich. This needs to be on your table this Summer!

BLT Pasta Salad

Fresh garden tomatoes are the absolute best thing about summer. Absolute best.

I grow a ton of tomatoes every summer because I love them so much. This summer, I’ve got 20 tomato plants growing.

I grow Romas for canning (they are less juicy than other tomato varieties so they work great for making tomato sauce & paste) and Brandywine, Better Boy, Cherokee Purple, and Cherry tomatoes for eating fresh, mostly on BLT’s.

In the summer, I practically live off of BLTs y’all! I just adore them. The flavors are perfect.

Sometimes I’ll put pimento cheese on my BLT and it’s absolute heaven.

I started thinking how good a BLT pasta salad would be, so I played around with the flavors and came up with my own BLT Pasta Salad recipe.

I have to say that it’s pretty darn delicious!

Why You’ll Love BLT Pasta Salad

I love anything BLT-ish. If you’ve tried my Fried Green Tomatoes BLT you know what I’m mean. Mixing it up into a salad is genius, if you ask me.

Here are some other reasons to love this salad:

• It comes together quickly, even after allowing the flavors to meld overnight.
• It’s got the delicious BLT taste that you love.
• This pasta salad is the perfect side for potlucks or serving at a summer picnic.
• The fresh tomatoes add a burst of juicy flavor.

This BLT Pasta Salad is addictive. And it’s also my lunch today. If you need me, I’ll be over there –>> eating a large bowl full of this delicious pasta salad.

Ingredients

• Bowtie pasta: one box cooked according to box directions. Allow cooked pasta to cool off.
• Cherry tomatoes: You’ll want to slice these juicy tomatoes in half OR dice them for my cold pasta salad recipe.
• Ranch dressing: Use your favorite creamy ranch dressing for this recipe.
• Barbecue sauce: It might sound a bit strange, but trust me on this!
• Onion: You’ll need one medum-sized onion, finely diced (Vidalia is great if you can get them!)
• Cooked bacon: The bacon is an important ingredient, so get the good stuff! I like to use thick-cut bacon and cut it up into bacon crumbles.
• Romaine lettuce: Chop it up really good into bite-sized pieces.
• Add some spices: Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.

How to Make My BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

This is BLT salad is best when you make it ahead of time because it really helps the flavors develop.  It’s a fun twist on a creamy pasta salad.

Tips for Making BLT Pasta Salad

Here are some tips to keep in mind when making my easy BLT Pasta Salad recipe:

1. You’ll want to cook pasta a little more than al dente so it’s not hard when served cold. It’s much better with a tender pasta rather than one with a bite.
2. The key to getting this pasta salad just right is easy. Stir together all the ingredients – except the bacon and lettuce – and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
3. Right before you are about to serve it, stir in the lettuce and bacon. This will keep them both from getting all soggy – because no one wants a BLT with a soggy LT.
4. You can make your own creamy homemade ranch dressing using a ranch seasoning packet.

Storage

This salad will not store well because the lettuce will get wilted and ugly. That means you can fill yourself as full as you want to because it won’t make good leftovers.

Print Pin

BLT Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 16oz box bowtie pasta, cooked according to box directions & cooled
• 2 cups of cherry tomatoes sliced in half OR diced tomatoes
• heaping 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 medium onion finely diced (Vidalia is great if you can get them!)
• 10 slices cooked bacon crumbled (or more if you want!)
• 2.5 to 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• garlic salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Mix together all ingredients except for the bacon & lettuce. Refrigerate overnight.
• Stir in the lettuce & bacon right before serving.