BLT Pasta Salad
Updated Jul 22, 2025
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This marinated BLT pasta salad is everything you love about the classic sandwich: crisp bacon, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy lettuce, tossed with tender pasta and a simple, tangy dressing. It’s the perfect make-ahead dish for summer cookouts, potlucks, picnics, and casual weeknight dinners.
If the idea of turning your favorite sandwich into a pasta salad sounds like summer magic, kitchen pull up a bowl. This marinated BLT pasta salad takes the crispy-salty-juicy combo of bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes, folds it into tender pasta, and ties the whole thing together with a tangy, herb-flecked dressing.
It’s the perfect make-ahead salad for barbecues, road trips, lake house weekends, and any dinner where turning on the oven feels like a terrible idea, Plus, it’s just the right balance of indulgent and fresh — exactly the kind of dish people demand the recipe for (before they’ve even asked for seconds which they will).
BLT Pasta Salad goes really well with whatever you’re firing up on the grill, whether that be grilled salmon, BBQ chicken, or even a New York strip steak. It’s the perfect side — providing both starch and veggies, studded with ample amounts of bacon and juicy ripe tomatoes, with just the right amount of acidity, which brightens up everything.
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Ingredients
- Pasta – Any short chunky pasta will be great. Make sure to cook the pasta thoroughly; tender pasta makes the best pasta salad.
- Bacon – Ten strips, please, don’t skimp! Buy the best bacon you can find.
- Lettuce – More than a few people might cock an eyebrow when they see lettuce in this pasta salad. My general response is to hold up a hand gently and say, “Hey, give it a try.” (Also, in my family, scooping up some salad with a bite of pasta is just a perfect forkful.) The lettuce wilts a bit in the hot pan used to cook the bacon and softens slightly more in the dressing, but it still provides some nice crunch.
- Tomatoes – You can use any color of cherry or grape tomatoes or seeded and diced larger tomatoes. Just make sure they’re ripe since they’re the star of the show!
- Scallions – Scallions + bacon + tomatoes = love.
- Mayonnaise – Adds that amazing creaminess (also an integral part of all the best BLTs!).
- Ranch or Caesar dressing – Dealer’s choice! Either use store-bought or go for homemade ranch or Caesar to make this salad really special.
- Milk – The milk works here to lighten and smooth out the creamy dressing.
- Lemon juice – For acidity.
- Parmesan cheese – For a sharp, nutty cheese flavor.
- Avocado – Cubes of avocado are a nice, optional addition to this salad (which I guess would be called a BLTA Pasta Salad). Make sure to cut and add the avocados right before serving so they don’t turn brown.
Tips and Variations
- Play around with different short chunky pasta shapes.
- Add some grilled corn kernels.
- Add cubed, cooked chicken for a more robust main course.
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
- Cook the bacon. You can begin with full bacon strips and crumble once cool, or slice into lardons and then cook those.
- Toss the vegetables in the pan until everything is very lightly coated with the little bit of remaining bacon grease, and the lettuce wilts just a bit.
- Cook the pasta: Follow the cooking time on the package, then drain, give it a quick rinse in cool water, and let it cool.
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ranch dressing, milk, lemon juice, Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Add the cooled cooked pasta.
- Combine and toss: Add the slightly warmed vegetables. Add all but about 1/2 cup of the crumbled or sliced cooked bacon to the bowl. Toss to mix. Add the avocado if using.
- Serve: Top with the reserved 1/2 cup of bacon, and serve at room temperature.
BLT Pasta Salad Know How
There are a few ways to cook bacon: In a pan on the stove, in the oven, or in an air fryer. With the air fryer and the oven, you don’t need to worry about bacon grease splashing everywhere. How long it takes depends on the method and the thickness. If you are using a pan, turn the bacon a few times during cooking for the most evenly crispy results. No matter what method you use, remember that the bacon will crisp up a bit as it cools. Don’t overbrown it!
I like to serve BLT pasta salad at room temperature. If you make it ahead, take it from the fridge about 30 minutes and give it a good toss before serving for best flavor and texture. In a perfect world, you would make it just before serving: this will allow the pasta to remain tender, the bacon to stay crisp, and the tomatoes to keep their delightful juiciness and texture.
What to Serve With BLT Pasta Salad
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BLT Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 10 slices bacon
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (halved)
- 4 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1 pound bow tie pasta (or gemelli, fusilli, small shells, penne rigate, or other small chunky shaped pasta)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Ranch or Caesar dressing (store-bought or homemade)
- ¼ cup milk
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 avocado (diced; optional)
Instructions
- Line a plate with paper towels. Place the bacon in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy on both sides, about 8 minutes in all. Use tongs to remove the bacon to the paper towel-lined plate. Pour off the fat from the pan, then add the tomatoes, lettuce, and scallions to the hot pan. Off the heat, toss the vegetables in the warm bacon fat until everything is lightly coated with bacon grease and the lettuce wilts just a bit.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until tender. Drain the pasta, give it a quick rinse in cool water, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ranch dressing, milk, lemon juice, Parmesan, and salt and pepper. Add the vegetables to the pan. Crumble or slice the cooked bacon, and add all but about 1/2 cup to the bowl. Add the cooled, cooked pasta and the avocado, if using. Toss well to thoroughly mix, and top with the reserved 1/2 cup crumbled bacon. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Cubes of avocado are a nice addition to this salad (which I guess would be called a BLTA Pasta Salad). Make sure to cut and add the avocados right before serving so they don’t turn brown.
- Giving the pasta a quick rinse in cool water after cooking helps stop the cooking and prevents the pasta from becoming gummy. You don’t want to do this with hot pasta dishes (it rinses off some of the starch, which would prevent the sauce from sticking), but it’s helpful with pasta salads.
Bringing the BLT into a pasta salad is nothing short of wonderful. Great flavor, easy recipe