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a plain bowl of bow-tie pasta with crisp bacon pieces, diced red tomatoes and chopped green romaine lightly coated in pale creamy dressing
Rachel Kim

BLT Pasta Salad

The bacon, lettuce and tomato all need to stay recognizable in a BLT pasta salad, so the dressing should coat lightly instead of hiding the ingredients. Seed firm tomatoes before dicing them. That keeps their loose juice out of the mayonnaise dressing, and the bacon stays crisper when half is held back for the last toss. Add the lettuce just before serving and use a wide bowl that gives you room to fold without crushing it.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz dry farfalle
  • 1 tbsp fine salt for pasta water
  • 10 oz bacon chopped
  • 3 firm Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
  • 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce washed and dried
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt for dressing
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Method
 

  1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp, then drain on paper towels.
  2. Boil farfalle in water with the tablespoon salt until fully tender. Drain, rinse briefly under cool water and drain thoroughly.
  3. Whisk mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, Dijon, dressing salt and pepper. Toss pasta with dressing, seeded tomatoes and half the bacon.
  4. Fold in dry romaine and remaining bacon immediately before serving. For make-ahead, refrigerate the dressed pasta promptly and hold lettuce and reserved bacon separately.
  5. Serve cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.