Is it a sandwich turned salad, or a salad with a sandwich influence? This BLTA pasta salad is both, plus another favorite: pasta!
Who doesn’t love a good BLT? A simple sandwich to some, but to those in the know, the perfectly balanced layered sandwich! They have crunch, salt, smoke, and freshness. I prefer to go a step further and make mine into a BLTA- bacon lettuce tomato and avocado! That added creaminess of the avocado is a game changer, trust me!
BLTA + Pasta
This BLTA pasta salad is my take on this classic sandwich, spun into the perfect summer picnic side! I love a good BLT, but they aren’t always the easiest to take along to a potluck or cookout for a large crowd. Nobody likes soggy bread, and I honestly don’t want to assemble dozens of sandwiches and transport them!
This spin on the delicious sandwich makes a simple and quick meal for the masses! It has all of the elements of the sandwich, plus a few delicious surprises:
- Bacon
- Lettuce (arugula)
- Tomato
- Avocado
- Pasta
- Bacon Vinaigrette
Bacon Vinaigrette
All of the elements of this pasta salad make an amazing combination, but the bacon vinaigrette is what brings it all together!
I don’t know about you, but I make a habit of reserving bacon grease when I cook! I let it cool slightly, and strain it into a mason jar. You’ll be surprised just how many things you will want to add that delicious bacon-y flavor to! I use mine in place of olive oil for pan searing, on roasted veggies for crisping, and in salad dressings in place of oil!
Combine with warm bacon grease with dijon, spices, and of course mayo. What’s a BLT without mayo after all? This creamy, tangy, and bacon-y dressing provides the perfect zip and flavor to bring the pasta salad together.
A few simple elements and this pasta salad comes together in a flash! A deliciously simple sandwich gets a sophisticated upgrade, ad now the letters BLT-A will take on a whole new meaning.
Serve room temperature or chilled, but whatever you do, serve it right away! It will be gone quickly!
BLTA Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Bacon Dressing
- 2 tbsp warm bacon grease reserved from cooked bacon in pasta salad
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ tbsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper
Pasta Salad
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 1 lb cooked bacon
- 12 oz grape tomatoes I used a rainbow medley
- 2 medium-large avocados
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 8 oz baby arugula
Instructions
Bacon Dressing
- Cook 1lb of bacon for pasta salad. Set aside. Take 2 tbsp of bacon grease and put it in a large bowl.
- Add remaining bacon dressing ingredients to the large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Set aside.
Pasta Salad
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Drain and cool.
- Chop cooked bacon into ¼-⅓ inch pieces. Halve or quarter tomatoes (depending on size...some of mine were pretty large).
- Cut the avocado into ½ inch cubes. Add avocado, bacon, tomatoes, onions and pasta to the large bowl with the dressing.
- Stir to coat with dressing. Add in arugula and toss. Serve immediately or allow to chill for 1 hour.
