If you guys couldn’t tell by now, I am a huge fan of pasta salad! I love noodles and love all the variations you can come up with to make it a complete meal or a tasty side dish.
My latest creation is the BLT Pasta Salad with a twist. Most people toss it with ranch dressing, but I like it mixed with my delicious creamy dill dressing. It goes so well with this pasta salad, which would be perfect to serve at a potluck, BBQ, or just to have on hand as a quick meal option. I recently made it for a Super Bowl party and it was a big hit.
MAKING THE PASTA SALAD
Start by cooking the bacon, per package directions.
I don’t know about you, but I definitely have a favorite brand of bacon. Mine is the Oscar Mayer® Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon. It has such a good flavor and really adds to this pasta salad!
Once the bacon is cooked, let it cool and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook rotini noodles per package instructions. Rinse under cool water and drain well.
While you cook the noodles, prepare the veggies by seeding and dicing the tomatoes and roughly chopping the spinach.
Once the noodles are cooled and drained, empty into a large bowl. Add the cooked bacon, tomatoes, spinach and cheddar cheese to the bowl and gently toss to combine.
DRESSING
To make the creamy dill dressing, simply combine the sour cream, mayo, garlic powder, dill and lime juice in a small bowl. Mix well and pour over the noodles.
Chill for at least two hours before serving.
I’m sure this BLT pasta salad will make everyone in your family happy! For a fun party idea, serve it alongside a sub sandwich bar. It doesn’t get much better, or easier than pasta and subs.
SUB SANDWICH BAR
A sandwich bar is so easy to set up and is a great addition to your Game Day spread!
Here’s what we included in ours:
- Sub sandwich rolls
- Sliced cheese
- Sliced deli meat, like turkey and ham
- Spreads, like mayo and mustard
You can also add your favorite veggies to the sandwich bar, such as lettuce, tomatoes and onion (if you don’t have picky eaters in your house, like I do). 🙂
BLT Pasta Salad
A delicious twist on the classic BLT pasta salad!
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini noodles
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Dressing
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dill
- juice from one lime
Instructions
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Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Rinse noodles with cool water and drain well.
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Move the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add in the cooked bacon, tomatoes, spinach and cheddar cheese. Mix to combine.
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In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayo, garlic powder, dill and lime juice to make the dressing. Stir well and pour over the noodles.
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Gently toss the noodles with the dressing until mixed well.
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Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve cold.
One of the best parts about pasta salad is that it makes great leftovers. Cover your leftover pasta and refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days. Now you have lunch for the next couple days! I am all for getting more than one meal out of a recipe.
If you try this, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
