Name: My BLT Pasta Salad Is a Must for Summer
Prep time: 16 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 36 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 slices regular bacon; 12 ounces dry penne or rotini pasta; 2/3 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered; 2 cups shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce

Ingredients

6 serv.

8 slices regular bacon
12 ounces dry penne or rotini pasta
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 cups shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce

Instructions

Tap a step to mark it done

1 Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and arrange the bacon on it. Bake the bacon in the center of the oven until very crispy, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool.
2 While the bacon is cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. I recommend cooking it for 1 to 2 minutes less than it says on the box. Drain the pasta well.
3 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.
4 Add the warm pasta to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes. Place the pasta salad in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. Once the pasta salad is completely cool, chop and stir in the bacon and shredded lettuce (if desired, reserve a handful of bacon for garnish). Right before serving, garnish with any reserved bacon. Pasta salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s best to stir in the lettuce right before serving if you know you will be serving it later. Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!