This creamy, easy BLT pasta salad recipe is loaded with tomatoes, arugula, and avocado, plus crispy bacon that’s all topped with a super simple Ranch-style dressing made healthier with a combo of Greek yogurt and mayo.
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Easy BLT Pasta Salad
You could say my collection of pasta salad recipes here on the blog are my children, and just like any mother of kids, it’s nearly impossible to choose just one as my most favorite. But, if you’re a fan of a creamy pasta salad, or an ultra easy-to-make pasta salad that’s loaded with healthier goodness (plus bacon!), this avocado and bacon pasta salad is for you.
Once the garden tomatoes come into harvest, BLT sandwiches are a staple at our house. And the only thing that makes them even better is adding avocado for them to become BLATs. Bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato sandwiches that are now a BBQ pasta salad staple.
So when my daughter requested I make a pasta salad that included her beloved bacon in the BLT mix, avocado was an obvious addition to make.
BLT Pasta Salad Ingredients
I’m sure you can already guess the key ingredients in this BLT pasta salad recipe, but I added in a few more veggies to add extra pops of flavor. Instead of lettuce, I used peppery arugula, which pairs beautifully with the ranch pasta salad dressing. And I prefer using cherry tomatoes in this BLT pasta salad because they’re so juicy and hold their shape nicely.
The other ingredients you’ll need for this potluck side dish are:
- Pasta
- Bacon
- Cherry tomatoes
- Arugula
- Avocado
- Red onion
- Greek yogurt
- Mayonnaise
- White vinegar
- Chives
- Parsley
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
The pasta salad dressing is a little healthier, because I used Greek yogurt instead of full flavored mayonnaise and sour cream. But thanks to the fresh herbs it has a totally fresh and delicious flavor.
As with any cold pasta salad, taste the dressing after you’ve whisked it together to see if it needs more salt or pepper. It’s much easier to season the dressing before it’s been tossed with the pasta!
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
To make this homemade pasta salad, you’ll first need to cook the pasta noodles according to the package’s instructions. I tend to undercook my pasta just a bit for pasta salads so it doesn’t turn to mush as it absorbs the salad dressing.
While the pasta cooks, dice the bacon and cook it until it reaches your desired level of crispness. Note that you won’t have to oil the pan before cooking the bacon in it as the bacon will release a good amount of fat as it cooks.
Once the pasta has cooled slightly and the bacon and veggies have been prepped, add everything to a large bowl and toss to combine.
Next up is the dressing. This pasta salad dressing is so easy to make, and is an easier rendition of my homemade Ranch dressing for saucing this easy pasta salad. In a separate bowl, whisk together the homemade ranch dressing. Pour the dressing over the BLT pasta salad and gently stir to distribute it.
Can I Use Fat-Free Greek Yogurt?
Personally, I would steer clear of using fat-free yogurt in this homemade pasta salad. Fat-free yogurts are often loaded with additives to make up for their flavor, and have a tendency to separate. Stick to low-fat or whole milk plain Greek yogurt for this recipe.
The Best Pastas for Pasta Salad
I like this pasta salad best with a short pasta noodle, and like in my Shrimp and Macaroni Salad I use my favorite shell noodle. But, there are quite a few other types you can try, like:
- Farfalle (bowtie or butterflies)
- Gemelli (twists)
- Fusilli (springs)
- Campanelle (flowers)
- Penne (tubes)
- Orichette (ears)
Always cook your pasta in water that’s been generously salted. I always prefer kosher salt to regular table or iodized salt because it’s not as harsh due to its larger, flakier crystals.
Can I Prep This Pasta Salad in Advance?
I actually prefer my pasta salads to be served chilled, so yes, you can definitely prep this bacon pasta salad in advance. Just note that the longer the bacon sits in the dressing, the less crisp it will be when you serve this pasta salad.
With that said, this BLT pasta salad will be fine if you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours prior to serving it. This will give the flavors time to come together.
Can I Double This BLT Pasta Salad Recipe?
If you’re making this pasta salad for a backyard BBQ or potluck party, you can easily double the recipe if you’ll be feeding a lot of people. One pound of pasta makes a lot of pasta salad, and the salad as-is serves 12 or more, but will stretch further if you’re serving other salads or side dishes along with it.
Tips for Making BLT Pasta Salad
If you’re out of ingredients or out of time to make the easy homemade dressing, feel free to use a quality bottled ranch dressing instead.
We prefer using classic pork bacon to make this BLT pasta salad, but you’re welcome to use any type of bacon you’d like.
One final note: the sliced avocado will brown as it sits in this BLT pasta salad. Personally, I don’t mind eating brown avocado (it’s perfectly safe to eat!), but if that’s something you’re worried about you can wait to stir it in until just before you serve this homemade pasta salad.
More Pasta Salad Ideas to Try
- Classic Shrimp and Macaroni Salad (this one always gets raves)
- Macaroni Salad with Smoked Mozzarella and Proscuitto
- Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad
- Creamy Tuscan Pasta Salad
- How to Make Classic Macaroni Salad (because classics always win!)
- Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
Pasta Salad:
- 1 pound short pasta noodles , (such as shells, farfalle, cavatappi)
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
- 2 cups arugula leaves
- 1 avocado , chopped
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
Dressing:
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt , (low-fat or full-fat)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced chives
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced flat leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions just until al denté and still a bit firm. Rinse under cool water and drain well. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the bacon into ½" pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until desired crispness. Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate topped with a paper towel to drain well.
- Add the bacon, tomato, arugula, avocado and red onion to the pasta.
- In a small bowl, mix the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, garlic powder, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Thin with milk, water or buttermilk if desired.
- Drizzle the dressing over the pasta and gently toss. Taste for seasoning. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Note: If you're out of ingredients or out of time to make the easy homemade dressing, feel free to use a quality bottled Ranch dressing instead.
Nutrition
More Recipes Make This Pasta Salad a Meal
- Homemade One-Pot Sloppy Joes
- Citrus Brined Pork Chops
- Veggie and Sausage Kebabs
- Potato Chip-Crusted Chicken Breasts
- The Best Grilled Chicken Breasts
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Jacquie Gee
This salad is perfect to take to a barbecue. It was a huge hit at my friend’s party last weekend! I will make this a lot this summer for sure.
Hayley
Thanks, Jacquie–we’re so happy to hear this was a big hit (it’s definitely one our favorite summer recipes)! :)
Jacquie Gee
I just made this for a Memorial Day barbecue and it was a huge hit! ❤️
Hayley
Thanks for giving this a try, and for letting us know it was a hit, Jacquie! :)
Susan
This salad was so refreshing and delicious. I swapped out the pasta for zucchini noodles and used homemade Greek yogurt and homemade avocado oil mayo. We gobbled up the entire bowl as a main dish.
Happy to hear you enjoyed Susan!
Meredith Cole
Hi, there!
So looking forward to making this salad. It incorporates all of our favorites!
I have a noncooking question. In the photo with the red onion and yogurt, you used a lovely blue-patterned bowl. Are they still available?
Thank you so much!
I got it at an Asian market, so maybe?
Pamela
I made the BLT Pasta Salad with Avocado. I had to make double the amount of dressing. The farfalle soaked up the initial amount after an hour and it was extremely dry. I had to make another batch of the dressing. Other reviewers do not mention the dryness.
Jackson
Hello,
I’m Jackson, I’m a chef who loves food, I’m always interested in new foods. BLT pasta salad recipe is great! I just finished them tonight, taste is great and i had a great dinner with my little family. Thanks for your sharing.
Sincerely grateful!
Glad to hear you enjoyed Jackson!
SONNGUYEN
wish I could enjoy it in my country. Thank you for giving me a great experience. I hope to enjoy it one day soon
eric levine
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
Danielle
I love this salad!! I’ve made it a few times and on days where I’m feeling a veggie based diet this recipe works well with vegan mayo, coconut yogurt and coconut fake bacon. So tasty!
Liz
This was so easy to put together with ingredients I already had on hand. I sub’d out the Greek yogurt for light sour cream I had in the fridge. That was the only modification. I like that it’s not drenched in dressing. It’s light and has plenty of flavor! Will make again.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy over and over
Rahul
Delisious way To make i live most of the time in occeans
Rahul Sahani
awesome blog
Chef biraj
Its such a healthy salad recipe, I love the great combination of pasta and avocado. Can I use the lemon juice instead of vinegar? Pls reply to me and one more thing, BLT stands for what…
Thanks for the nice to share your recipe.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks Biraj! you definitley could use Lemon. BLT stands for Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato.
BLT is for bacon, lettuce and tomato. I would stick with vinegar rather than lemon juice though.
John Mike
Salad always gets more delicious using Avocado. I am definitely going to try this. Can i share my salad pictures with you?? :) It will encourage me to try more of your recipies.
Luna Regina
Such a brilliant and vibrant salad for summer parties! I’ll try this as soon as possible! Thanks for the great recipe, Heidi!
Molly
How many people does this serve
Hi Molly, it serves 12.
Jenny
This salad looks so yummy! I’m not an arugula fan, so is the arugula flavor really noticeable? If so, what would you suggest I use in its place? Spinach? Mixed greens? Thank you!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
If you’re not a huge fan you could definitely use Spinach.
Jenny
Thank you! I’m putting it on next weeks menu!
Nina Newton
Hello Heidi! I discovered your blog while searching for a recipe for this BLT Avocado Pasta Salad to share with the readers of our blog and monthly online publication, RUBY magazine. I would like to feature this recipe in a collection of summer recipes during the month of July. We will, of course, only use one image and link back here to the original recipe / blog post and encourage our readers to visit you here to find more of your great recipes. Love this recipe and hope our readers visit you soon! Nina @ RUBY magazine and community
Round The world
Gonna try this weekend for my wife and my boy.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I hope you all love it!
Jill P
Do you use fat free or whole milk Greek yogurt?
Hi Jill, I would stay away from fat free yogurt—too many additives to make up for the taste and it isn’t stable enough to cook with. Low fat or whole milk Greek yogurt is best.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That is totally up to you and how you’d like it! As always, full fat will produce a more rich flavor. But healthier would be a light greek yogurt!
Manjela
This is a very nice pasta salad. My family loved it!
Melissa
Hi how many people does this serve? Can you double the recipe if needed?
Tracey
I also would like to know if this can be doubled, tripled!?
Hi guys, sure, you can totally double and triple it if you’d like.
Hi Melissa, it serves 12, and yes, you can double it if you’d like.
Robbin
While we love avocado tossed into a salad or spread on toast, it’s time to get creative with the ingredient. Thankyou for sharing this delicious recipe. I would also like to share five new ways to incorporate avocados into your diet and lower your cholesterol while you’re at it!
Patti
Another delicious salad. So many great ideas D the bacon man would love this.
Darci
Made a slightly modified version of this tonight and using what I had on hand. SOOO fresh and delicious! Can’t wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Loved the dressing. Thank you! *I used Banza chick pea pasta (GF), no mayo, spinach
cheapwritingservice
Oh my God! it is looks just amazing! Your photos looks looks so tasty! I can’t wait weekends to try to cook its with my wife!
Nora
Made this tonight with some grilled chicken. Really enjoyed it. All of the ingredients really complement each other. Definitely see us making it throughout the summer. Thanks for sharing
Cindy
Is your Greek yogurt full fat or 0% ? I may have missed it. I’m on the new Weight Watchers program and just trying to figure out the points. This looks so delicious ~I have a lot of the ingredients from my Saturday trip to the farmers market:)
Alene
Delicious salad! Thank you you! I had absolutely everything in the recipe in my refrigerator and I cut it down to serve one, and it was perfect. I added a half of a red pepper and some sugar snap peas, cut up. This was a “clean out the refrigerator of all the baggies of leftover veggies. Yay! Delicious!