BLT PASTA SALAD

By ldelmas

This is best assembled right before serving - but it’s still tasty after refrigerating. I wouldn’t recommend adding avocado to the entire salad if there’s a chance you will be storing leftovers. You could serve diced avocado in a small bowl on the side for those who enjoy it.

Fresh chives add just a hint of subtle onion flavor, but if you prefer - add sliced green onion. For convenience, I cooked the pasta the night before and added the milk before refrigerating to keep it from sticking together. Then all I had to do was mix the dressing, add everything, and toss.

Several recipes called for Ranch dressing - but I opted to just add garlic salt and let the other flavors shine. The bacon, fresh tomatoes, and avocado really came through that way. Using romaine kept the lettuce from totally disintegrating in the mix. If you are being careful with calories, skip the mayo and add greek yogurt - and substitute low-fat sour cream for full fat. If you love mustard on your BLT’s - you could even add a little squirt to incorporate that flavor. And if you are missing the toasted bread - why not try a few croutons?
I took this salad to a family reunion on Saturday, and not a speck was left. I’ll take that as a sign of success. I’ve seen this same idea all over the internet for more than a year now, but the recipes used seem to be a complicated combination of several unusual spices and ingredients. That’s what I loved with this adaptation - most ingredients you already have at home, and you can tweak to your heart’s content.

Ingredients

• 16-oz package of bowtie pasta
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
• 15 slices of bacon, cooked till crisp, then drained on towels
• 3-5 ripe tomatoes, cut in large cubes (drain the juice slightly)
• 1/2 - 1 tsp garlic salt
• Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or substitute greek yogurt)
• 1/4 cup sour cream (full fat, or use low-fat as desired)
• 2 Tbs chopped chives (or substitute thinly sliced green onion tops)
• 5-6 cups chopped romaine hearts (I used crisp artisan romaine lettuce)
• 2 large avocados, cut into chunks (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Cook pasta according to package directions - only to al dente. Overcooking the pasta will cause it to fall apart when tossed.

Drain and place in plastic ziploc bag. Add milk, seal, and turn bag over until pasta is well coated. Refrigerate overnight.

Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels. Break into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Just before serving, in large mixing bowl - add mayo, sour cream, garlic salt, and chopped chives. Stir well.

Add chilled pasta and toss until coated. Taste to correct seasonings (adding salt & pepper to taste)

On top of pasta - add the chopped romaine hearts, drained tomatoes, about 3/4 of the diced bacon, and avocados (if using)

Toss lightly until well coated.

Arrange salad in chilled mixing bowl, and garnish with remaining bacon (croutons, if desired) and additional chopped chives and/or avocados.

Serve immediately.

Refrigerate leftovers