BLT Pasta Salad is a family favorite summer dish that is not only great at potlucks but also in lunches! Crispy bacon, fresh juicy tomatoes, and romaine lettuce are tossed in cavatappi pasta with a delicious and flavorful homemade salad dressing.

BLT pasta salad in a white bowl with fresh tomatoes and romaine lettuce.

Perfect Potluck Dish

This recipe is perfect for potlucks because it’s a cold dish so there’s no need to warm it up when arriving at the get-together or party. This BLT pasta salad is full of flavor and will easily become the dish that everyone raves about!

Pasta salads are a great summertime dish because they can be made ahead of time and they easily feed a crowd.

Top view of a BLT Pasta Salad in a round serving dish.

Make Ahead Pasta Salad

This pasta salad can be made ahead of serving with just a one alteration to the recipe. The romaine lettuce can be prepped ahead of time by chopping it but it is best not to add it to the pasta salad until serving time. That way the romaine lettuce doesn’t get soggy. Romaine lettuce wilts fairly quickly so add it when serving.

If packing this in the lunches, either pack the chopped lettuce separately or mix the romaine lettuce into the salad the morning of eating it for lunch.

Ingredients in BLT Pasta Salad

Cavatappi pasta or other spiral pastas – spiral pasta helps the salad dressing to adhere to the pasta much better than other pastas and the pasta gets better coverage.
Romaine lettuce
Bacon, cooked and chopped – crispy bacon is best.
Tomatoes
Red onion
Fresh chives
Sour cream
Ranch dressing
Mayonnaise – light or regular mayonnaise works!
Ground black pepper
Apple cider vinegar

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Ingredients for the BLT pasta salad in a large white bowl.

How To Make BLT Pasta Salad

Prep the ingredients- Prep the ingredients that you can ahead of time. Cook the bacon until crispy and cook the spiral pasta of choice according to the package’s directions.

Allow the bacon to cool and then chop it and set it aside. Chop the red onion, tomatoes, and lettuce as well and set aside.

Make the dressing- Make the salad dressing by mixing the sour cream, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper together in a bowl. Combine until well mixed.

Assemble the pasta salad- Combine the salad dressing with the cooked pasta until the pasta is moistened with the dressing.

Gently stir in the chopped veggies and bacon until everything is combined.

TIP: If not serving right away, keep the lettuce separately until serving to prevent wilting.

Store the pasta salad in the refrigerator until serving.

BLT Pasta Salad

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

16 ounces cavatappi pasta (or other spiral pasta)
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh chives, diced
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Cook the bacon until crispy, allow it to cool, and then chop it into small pieces.
Cook the spiral pasta of choice according to the package's directions.
Chop the red onion, tomatoes, and romaine lettuce as well and set aside.
Make the salad dressing by mixing the sour cream, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper together in a bowl. Combine until well mixed.
Combine the salad dressing with the cooked pasta until the pasta is moistened with the dressing.
Gently stir in the chopped veggies and bacon until everything is combined.

TIP: If not serving right away, keep the lettuce separately until serving to prevent the lettuce from wilting.
Store the pasta salad in the refrigerator.

Notes

TIP: If not serving right away, keep the lettuce separately until serving to prevent the lettuce from wilting.

Spiral pasta works great for this type of pasta salad because the salad dressing sticks to the spirals and gets in the nooks and crannies of the pasta. It makes the dressing cover the pasta well.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 346Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 514mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 8g

Nutrition calculation is a rough estimate and can vary depending on the cooking technique and the exact ingredients used. For informational purposes only.