Pasta Salad

We’re talking pasta salad with crispy bacon, crisp lettuce, tomato, and macaroni elbows, all tossed in a creamy homemade dressing.
Create a flavour combination that you will not be able to get enough of.

This pasta salad has all the flavours of a BLT sandwich packed inside, and is generously covered with your own creamy pasta salad dressing.

Take this pasta salad with bacon which is an irresistible delight to any barbecue or summer picnic and watch it disappear!
You can turn a classically perfect flavour combo into a fun summer dish that everyone will rave about!

Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe

Yield: Yield: 8 Serves

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This easy creamy pasta salad recipe with dressing is great for any cookout or even as a lunch or light summer meal!
Using homemade dressing makes this recipe next level!

This pasta salad with bacon incorporates all the flavours from the classic blt sandwich into a tasty creamy pasta salad.

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Ingredients

• Ingredients For Pasta Salad

• 500 grams macaroni elbows
• 8 bacon rashers
• 3 large tomatoes diced
• 8 lettuce leaves
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• Pasta Salad Dressing Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup greek yoghurt
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh parsley
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Instructions For Pasta Salad

1. Dice bacon and fry in butter in a Frying pan until crisp.
   Remove bacon from pan and set aside to cool. Save drippings in pan.
2. Thinly slice and dice the tomato and lettuce.
3. Cook pasta to Al dente and reserve ⅓ cup pasta cooking water.
   Place pasta in a large bowl and set aside to cool.
4. Add chopped bacon, tomato, lettuce, and lemon juice to cooled pasta and toss to combine.

Instructions For Pasta Salad Dressing

1. Place all dressing ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour dressing over pasta salad and stir to coat.
3. Stir in reserved ⅓ cup pasta water.

To Finish;

1. Season salad with bacon drippings, salt and pepper.
2. Refrigerate salad at least 1 hour until cold.

Notes

You can store the blt pasta salad in refrigerator up to 3 days.
It is not suitable for freezing.

Best Pasta Type For Pasta Salad

Substitute the macaroni elbows with any of these short pasta types.

Scroll down for serving suggestions and some good recipe variations,

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Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 295Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 18mgSodium 589mgCarbohydrates 29gFibre 3gSugar 4gProtein 10g

What To Serve With Pasta Salad

Your cold pasta salad can be perfect for:

• A main;
  Serve as a main dish for lunch or dinner with sliced, freshly buttered french stick as a side dish.

  Or you could jazz up your plain hamburgers and add as a filling.
  It also makes a perfect sandwich or wrap filling.

• Side dish;
  Serve as a side dish at your next Barbecue with a plate of yummy potato salad.
  It is also a good pairing alongside meat and vegies.
• Picnic Food;
  This makes a great food to take on a picnic.
  Just make sure you keep it chilled.

Pasta Salad Ideas

Here are our best pasta salad ideas. They are all variations of the above recipe and dressing.

1. Tuna Pasta Salad

   Here’s the recipe to make a creamy pasta salad with tuna;

   Ingredients

   • 500 grams macaroni elbows.
   • 425 gram tin of tuna in springwater.
   • 3 large tomatoes.
   • 8 lettuce leaves.
   • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

   Instructions

   1. Drain the tuna over a bowl and set aside.
      Save and set aside the bowl of drained springwater brine.
   2. Flake the tuna into bite size pieces.
   3. Thinly slice and dice the tomato and lettuce.
   4. Cook pasta to Al dente and reserve ⅓ cup pasta cooking water.
      Place pasta in a large bowl and set aside to cool.
   5. Add tuna, tomato, lettuce, and lemon juice to cooled pasta and toss to combine.
   6. Prepare the dressing:
      See recipe above.
   7. Pour dressing over tuna pasta salad and stir to coat.
   8. Season salad with springwater brine, salt and pepper.
   9. Refrigerate and serve cold.

2. Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad

   Here’s the recipe to make a creamy pasta salad with chicken;

   Ingredients

   • 500 grams macaroni elbows.
   • 4 bacon rashers.
   • 200 grams chicken fillet or leftover roast chicken.
   • 3 large tomatoes.
   • 8 lettuce leaves.
   • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

   Instructions

   1. Dice bacon and fry in butter in a Frying pan until crisp.
      Remove bacon from pan and set aside to cool. Save drippings in pan.
   2. Dice chicken and fry in bacon drippings.
      Remove chicken from pan and set aside to cool. Save drippings in pan.
   3. Thinly slice and dice the tomato and lettuce.
   4. Cook pasta to Al dente and reserve ⅓ cup pasta cooking water. Place pasta in a large bowl and set aside to cool..
   5. Add chopped bacon, tomato, lettuce, and lemon juice to cooled pasta and toss to combine.
   6. Prepare the dressing:
      See recipe above.
   7. Pour dressing over chicken pasta salad and stir to coat.
   8. Season salad with bacon and chicken drippings, salt and pepper.
   9. Refrigerate and serve cold.

3. Pasta Salad With Egg

   Here’s how to make a creamy pasta salad with egg;

   Ingredients

   • 250 grams macaroni elbows.
   • 6 bacon rashers.
   • 8 large eggs
   • 3 large tomatoes.
   • 8 lettuce leaves.
   • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

   Instructions

   1. Dice bacon and fry in butter in a frying pan until crisp.
      Remove bacon from pan and set aside to cool. Save drippings in pan..
   2. Hard boil the eggs and let cool.
   3. When the eggs are cool, peel and cut into 4 lengthways then cut in half.
   4. Thinly slice and dice the tomato and lettuce..
   5. Cook pasta to Al dente and reserve ⅓ cup pasta cooking water. Place pasta in a large bowl and set aside to cool..
   6. Add chopped bacon, eggs, tomato, lettuce, and lemon juice to cooled pasta and toss to combine.
   7. Prepare the dressing:
      See recipe above.
   8. Pour dressing over pasta salad and stir to coat.
   9. Season salad with bacon drippings, salt and pepper.
   10. Refrigerate and serve cold.

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