BLT Pasta Salad takes all the best flavors in a classic BLT, and combines it with bowtie pasta for an easy-to-eat main dish or side dish. The homemade ranch takes this meal to the next level!
The 5th installment of my Summer Salad series is a creative twist on a BLT. With bowtie pasta, grape tomatoes, beef bacon, and chopped spinach leaves all wrapped up in a homemade ranch dressing, this dish won't last long in your fridge!
Ingredients
- Bow Tie Pasta - Yeah, you technically can use any pasta shape of your choice... I just think the bow ties make this dish SO festive and cute.
- Beef Bacon - With my household not eating pork, beef bacon has been a savior! Because turkey just doesn't crisp up quite enough for me. You can sub for your favorite type of bacon if you prefer.
- Grape Tomatoes - Grab the variety colored pack for a splash of fun.
- Fresh Spinach Leaves - Be sure to remove the stems! Spinach will hold up in a pasta salad much better than iceberg or butter lettuce, which is the usual BLT green. You can substitute this with kale.
- Homemade Ranch - My high-protein homemade ranch dip takes seconds to put together. I usually thin it out with a bit of pasta water for this recipe, but you can leave it thick if you prefer.
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
Like most pasta salads, this is pretty low effort. You're only really cooking the bacon and the pasta, and the rest of the recipe is just assembly.
- Start by cooking your beef bacon. The best way (in my opinion) to cook bacon? Add the raw slices to a foil-lined baking pan, then put the pan in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 390℉, then cook until crispy - usually 8-10 minutes.
- While the bacon is cooking in the oven, cook your pasta for 7 minutes. Reserve a bit of the pasta water, then drain and let the pasta cool.
- Slice up your grape tomatoes and spinach leaves. Be sure to remove the stems from the spinach!
- Stir together your ingredients for the homemade ranch. If needed, use the pasta water - a little at a time - to thin it out.
- To a large bowl, add your cooled pasta, crumbled bacon, veggies, and seasonings.
- Top with the homemade ranch and stir well.
- Cover, and let the flavors marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- You can serve it immediately, or make this a day ahead.
Coined Cuisine's Summer Salad Series
Every year, I try to do a miniseries that's geared towards the current season to give inspiration and ideas on fun kitchen projects. To catch up on those you've missed, try my Popsicle series or Puff Pastry series from prior years.
This summer, and right on time for the 1st day of summer 2024, it's all about Summer Salads! That's gonna be delicious, summery side dishes that you can bring to the cookout or enjoy at your own backyard BBQ. I'll continue to update this post with the recipe links as they drop, so it's easy to navigate throughout them all.
- The Best Broccoli Salad
- Italian Orzo Pasta Salad
- Southern-Style Potato Salad
- Classic Coleslaw with Mayo
- BLT Pasta Salad (see below!)
Other Salad Recipes You'll Crave!
Fresh Rainbow Fruit Salad + Agave-Lime Syrup
Easy Cold Shrimp Salad on Croissants
Buffalo Chicken Ranch Cobb Salad
Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
High Protein Mediterranean Pasta Salad
BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 6 slices beef bacon
- 12 ounces bow-tie pasta
- 6 ounces multicolor grape tomatoes
- 1.5 ounces fresh spinach leaves stems removed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup Coined Cuisine homemade ranch linked below
Instructions
- Add your beef bacon slices to a foil-lined pan.
- Place the pan in a cold oven, then set the temperature to 390℉. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until crispy.
- Remove and place the bacon on paper towels to drain excess grease. Crumble bacon slices into pieces.
- In the meantime, fill a large pot with water and a generous amount of salt.
- Bring the pot to a rolling boil, then cook your bowtie pasta for 7 minutes.
- Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside to cool.
- Rinse and slice your grape tomatoes into fourths.
- Thinly slice your fresh spinach leaves.
- In a large salad bowl, add the pasta, crumbled bacon, sliced tomatoes, and spinach.
- Spinach with the salt, black pepper, and oregano.
- Mix your homemade ranch with the pasta water, a little at a time, until smooth, to thin it out. You may not use all of the water.
- Add the ranch dressing to your pasta salad and stir everything until combined.
- Serve as is, or let the pasta salad marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $0.90
- Total Cost (6 servings): $5.38
- Those Other Guys: $12.99 per serving
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!