BLT Pasta Salad

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BLT Pasta Salad – The perfect summer pasta salad loaded with bacon, corn, tomato, hard boiled egg, tomatoes, and kale in a delicious ranch dressing.

Looking for a delicious pasta salad to add to your summer salad rotation? This one is it! Serve with your favorite grilled meats like chicken, hot dogs, pork and beef, or bring to a party as an awesome side dish. You could even make this during the week and bring to work as an easy lunch.

Spinach, swiss chard, or romaine lettuce all work great in this salad if you don’t prefer kale. I’ve also added grilled chicken to step it up a notch and it was delicious.

I served my salad with spicy grilled barbecue chicken thighs and BBQ hasselback potatoes. It was an amazing combination! I’ll link some of my favorite dishes to serve with this salad for you below.

Pasta salad will last in the fridge in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 48 hours. Although it is best served within the first 24 hours. If needed, add a few tablespoons of mayo or ranch dressing to bring the salad back to life if it gets dry after being stored in the fridge.

Ingredients you need for this recipe:

• Rotini – Cooked, drained and cooled. You could also use penne, or rigatoni.
• Corn – I used cooked corn cut off the cob. You can also use canned corn or thawed frozen corn.
• Bacon – Cooked, cooled and chopped.
• Kale – If you don’t like kale, you can use spinach, swiss chard, or romaine lettuce.
• Hard Boiled Eggs – Peeled, cut into fours.
• Cheddar Cheese – Shredded
• Tomato – I used diced roma tomatoes but you can use cherry or grape tomatoes or whatever tomato you have on hand.
• Onion – I used yellow onion, but you can also use red.
• Ranch Dressing – Homemade is best but you can use store bought if you’d like.
• Black Pepper
• Fresh Dill – Optional garnish. You can also use fresh parsley.
• Mustard – I used regular yellow mustard. I think it works best in this salad.

Tools to have on hand:

• Salad Bowl
• Cutting Board + Chef Knife
• Measuring Spoons + Cups
• Small Mixing Bowl
• Large Spoon
• Plastic Wrap or Large Container – to store salad in fridge.

How to make BLT Pasta Salad:

Boil rotini pasta to al dente, drain, and set aside to let cool completely.

Cook bacon, drain grease, chop and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix ranch dressing with mustard.

To arrange salad add all ingredients to a large bowl and pour in half the dressing. Gently toss salad to combine. Pour remaining dressing and sprinkle with black pepper and fresh dill (optional). Gently stir to combine.

Cover salad and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

Main courses to serve with the perfect summer pasta salad:

• BBQ Pork Skewers with Filipino BBQ Marinade – Delicious grilled pork skewers in a homemade sticky, sweet, and spicy Filipino style BBQ marinade. This grilled pork recipe is one of my favorite things to cook on the grill.
• Grilled Spicy BBQ Chicken Thighs – Juicy grilled chicken thighs basted in a spicy homemade barbecue sauce. 
• BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs – Seasoned chicken thighs wrapped in thick cut bacon, basted in a sweet sauce and then grilled to crisp perfection.
• My Favorite BBQ Burger with Potato Chips – This mouthwatering burger starts with a buttery toasted bun topped with barbecue sauce, a grilled burger patty topped with melty cheddar cheese, and finally finished with crispy potato chips! So simple, yet so delicious.

If you enjoyed this salad, here are a few more dishes I think you’ll love:

• Classic American Potato Salad – The perfect side dish for your upcoming summer BBQ’s! Made with hard boiled eggs, this classic potato salad is creamy and delicious!
• Hawaiian Macaroni Salad – Creamy and delicious Hawaiian macaroni salad is an excellent side dish to serve with grilled huli huli chicken, pork and more!
• Classic Egg Salad – Protein packed, simple and healthy egg salad recipe. Serve egg salad on its own, on crackers or as an egg salad sandwich.
• Chicken Salad with Cranberries – Made with shredded rotisserie chicken, dried cranberries and celery. This chicken salad is simple and delicious! It goes great on a sandwich, on top of crackers as an appetizer, or just by itself!
• Grilled Mexican Corn – Also known as “Mexican Street Corn” or “Elote”. First the corn is grilled and then basted in a delicious creamy lime sauce sprinkled with fresh cilantro and chili powder.