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With double the bacon, this BLT Pasta Salad with Jalapeño Basil Ranch is the perfect summer salad. It’s almost no-cook and comes together in minutes. It has extra crispy bacon, romaine lettuce, and cherry tomatoes all tossed together with my creamy, spicy jalapeño basil ranch dressing. Toss in some cubes of cheddar cheese, grilled corn, and chunks of avocado and you’ll be good to go. This pasta salad is simple to toss together, super flavorful, and one of those recipes that everyone LOVES. Perfect for serving at your next backyard dinner. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch!
I’m on a pasta salad kick this spring/summer. Well, pasta salads and ice cream, I’ve been making both on repeat. Usually, I’d have issue with all of this repetitiveness, but I’ve loved all of the recipes I’ve been sharing. each one even more than the last.
If it’s a good recipe, it needs to be shared. And you all, this pasta salad is a really GOOD recipe.
I’m not sure exactly what inspired me to mix this up. But a week or so ago I just felt like making a really yummy, simple BLT pasta. First, I wanted to make sure I hadn’t created anything like this BLT recipe I was dreaming of. So I searched BLT on the HBH site. I was surprised to see the scant number of “BLT” dishes that came up.
Over the past 10+ years, I’ve created only a handful of BLT dishes, and never a pasta salad. That was all I needed to make up my mind to move forward with this pasta.
Ingredients
- Plain greek yogurt
- Mayo
- Buttermilk
- Fresh basil
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh chopped chives
- jalapeño
- Worcestershire
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Salad
- Short cut pasta
- Cubed spicy cheddar cheese
- Romaine lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
- Grilled corn
- Cooked bacon
- Avocado
Now the details
One of the biggest reasons I’m loving pasta salads so much is the simple fact that they’re usually easy to make. And that is just the case with this BLT pasta salad.
Simply mix the dressing, boil your favorite cut of short-cut pasta, then toss everything together.
Step 1: make the ranch dressing
This is one of my favorite dressings, especially for summer. It’s very creamy and easy to make with fresh basil, cilantro, and then the usual ranch ingredients. Mayo, buttermilk, chives, Worcestershire, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Personally, I love to toss in a jalapeño too.
Blend everything up in a blender or food processor until creamy – super easy to do. This really adds all the flavor!
Step 2: cook the pasta
I recommend using a shortcut pasta with ridges, but whatever your favorite pasta cut is will work just fine.
Step 3: toss the salad
Toss the hot pasta immediately with the dressing and cubes of sharp, spicy cheddar cheese. The heat from the pasta will intensify the flavors of the herbs and melt those cubes of cheese.
It’s going to smell wonderful, but taste even more DELICIOUS. This is a small little secret my dad taught me for making the best pasta salad.
Step 4: add everything else
Once the pasta is tossed with the dressing, mix in the cherry tomatoes, lettuce, grilled or roasted corn, and then of course, lots and lots of crispy bacon. YUM!
You can eat this warm or at room temperature. I love hot food, so I like this best while it’s still a little warm.
What I will say is that the longer the pasta sits, the more flavor it develops, so this is also perfect for making ahead. Just be sure to add the bacon and avocado right before serving to ensure the bacon is crispy and the avocado is the perfect shade of green.
Looking for other summer salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata
Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad
Lastly, if you make this BLT Pasta Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
BLT Pasta Salad
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 462 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Jalapeño Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, if desired
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
Salad
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 cup cubed spicy cheddar cheese
- 1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups grilled corn (about 3 ears)
- 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain.3. In a large bowl, toss together the hot pasta with dressing and cubes of cheese. Mix in the lettuce, tomatoes, corn, bacon, and avocado, gently tossing to combine. 4. Serve warm or cold. The salad will develop more flavor as it sits. If serving later, add the bacon and avocado just before serving.
This post was originally published on June 13, 2023
What a hit for a summer BBQ! Cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden, along with all the herbs. Hearty pasta, fresh lettuce, and crunchy bacon! It was such a hit and makes a lot to serve family and friends. The leftovers the next day were delicious, even the bacon.
Hey Kym! Love to hear this pasta salad was a hit! Thank you so much for giving it a try! Perfect for a BBQ for sure! 🙂 xT
Yummy! Perfect salad for a hot summer day.
Thank you SO much Cindy! So glad you loved this recipe, it really is perfect for summer! 🙂 xT
This is a great salad. I added some locally grown kale. I will definitely be making this again.
Thank you SO much for giving the recipe a try! I am so glad you enjoyed this pasta salad, it’s definitely a summer favorite! The kale sounds like a yummy addition too! 🙂 xT
I have a corn allergy, what would you suggest I use in place that would add that sweet addition to the recipe?
Hi! If you’re avoiding corn but still want that sweet flavor in this pasta salad, try diced sweet bell peppers or sugar snap peas! Or you could also go with diced Fuji or Gala apple. Roasted sweet potato cubes are another great option for a mellow, caramelized sweetness. Any of these would be a great option to add a different level of flavor in this recipe! xT
Can you make the dressing in advance?
Hey there! Yes, you can definitely make this dressing in advance! 🙂 xT
My new favorite pasta salad!! I used Organic Lemon Torchietti pasta from Trader Joe’s. And we enjoyed leftovers two days later. I was worried that the lettuce would weep, but it was still crunchy!
Hey Doris,
Awesome!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend!
Love this recipe! Made 2 changes: added more bacon because–it’s bacon; and doubled the dressing recipe. Added some of the extra to the salad and used the rest for other salads and sandwiches
Hey Margaret,
Fantastic!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, I appreciate you making it! xx
In your email, when you get to a list of recipes, the name of the recipe is separated from the photo of the recipes by an ad. This makes it hard to click on the one you have seen a photo of and would like to try. If the ads cannot be moved, it would be better to have the name of the recipe that you can click on above the recipe. Anyhow, it should be next to the recipe for ease of the person looking at the list. I love your recipes but find the interface hard to manage.
Hi Alisa,
Thanks for sharing your feedback, we can definitely try to adjust this for the future. Sorry for any issues! Have a great Friday! xx
This is absolutely delicious. I could eat the entire bowl myself.
Hey Meggan,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a hit! xx
This salad is Delish! To re-dress it, do you have to use all of the ingredients or can you just use the yogurt, Mayo, buttermilk, Worcestershire with seasonings? It still has the other flavors so I didn’t want to do all over again if not needed. Thank you 😊
Hi Tawnya,
So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed!! I have never re-dressed mine, so I would just use whatever you feel is necessary:) xx
I usually enjoy reading the reviews and comments before making something. Your website is so contaminated with pop ups, ads, etc, it makes me not want to use your recipes. You can’t scroll at all……You should try getting on someone’s computer or laptop to experience it.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Tanya. I am on the website everyday, so I do know what it is like. Sorry for any frustrations! xx
Your site has no more ad’s then any other – I scroll and look at your recipes with no issues 🙂
And this was delish! I used dill and chives – people devoured it.
Thank you so much, Brooke:)
can i use something in place of buttermilk?
Hi Marta,
You could use cream or whole milk. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Can you “grill” corn in the overn?
Hi Patricia,
Sure, you can roast your corn in the oven. You could also cook on the stove top over a skillet. I hope you love this recipe! xT