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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes » BLT Pasta Salad (5 Ingredients)

    Modified: Jul 9, 2025 · Published: Jul 18, 2022 by Angela G. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    BLT Pasta Salad (5 Ingredients)

    427 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    This BLT pasta salad is an easy 5-Ingredient recipe, ready in 20 minutes! Made with buttermilk ranch dressing, crisp romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and salty bacon. Enjoy this pasta salad as a quick lunch or a side dish at cookouts or picnics.

    BLT Pasta Salad
    BLT Pasta Salad with Ranch Dressing
    5-Ingredient BLT Pasta Salad
    Easy BLT Pasta Salad with Ranch
    BLT Pasta Salad
    BLT Pasta Salad with Ranch Dressing
    5-Ingredient BLT Pasta Salad
    Easy BLT Pasta Salad with Ranch
    Skim by Section
    • ★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
    • ★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
    • ★ How to Make this Recipe ★
    • ★ Tips & FAQs ★
    • ★ More Pasta Salad Recipes ★
    • BLT Pasta Salad

    ★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★

    Super Easy — Just 5 Ingredients!

    Made with ranch dressing, bacon, tomatoes and crispy romaine lettuce. This pasta salad is everything you love about a BLT sandwich, served up in a new way.

    This pasta salad is rich with flavor and lightly creamy with a buttermilk ranch dressing, crisp romaine, juicy tomatoes, and salty bacon. Cheddar cheese and red onion are optional but adds additional flavor.

    Ready in 20 minutes!

    This is an easy recipe you can have ready in less than 20 minutes! Perfect for when you're short on time but want to throw together a sharable, homemade side dish.

    Easy BLT Pasta Salad Side Dish

    Great for Meal Prep and Picnics

    Enjoy this salad as a quick lunch or a side dish at cookouts or picnics.

    This recipe makes a large batch. Halve the recipe to serve it up with dinner or to make ahead for lunch.

    Can be made with or without lettuce depending on how long you want it to keep.

    Customizable

    You need just 5 main ingredients! There are some optional ingredients you can add for extra flavor but aren't required.

    Add some tang.

    This pasta salad isn't super heavy. It's cool and lightly creamy made with ranch dressing. However, if you want to thin out the dressing a bit and at the same time add some brightness, try adding 1-2 tablespoon of vinegar. White wine vinegar, plain white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar all work well.

    This pasta salad can be made with hard boiled eggs added you can also add meats such as ham or salami as well as cubes of cheese.

    For a vegetarian option, try using plant-based "bacon" or substituting bacon with cheese or eggs.

    Try Turkey Bacon

    Want a lower fat option? Try using turkey bacon. It's much more lean.

    ★ Ingredients You'll Need ★

    All you need is 5 main ingredients. Super simple!

    For added flavor, there are some suggested extra ingredients you can add in if you have time and want to. Up to you!

    Just 5 Main Ingredients + Optional Extras

    • Rotini pasta. Be sure to rinse with cold water after draining to remove some excess starch and cool pasta so that when combined with the lettuce, the lettuce doesn't wilt.
    • Tomatoes. Grape or cherry tomatoes both work great.
    • Bacon. You can use any variety of bacon including turkey bacon or save time and use real bacon bits. I've found cooked strips of bacon have more flavor than pre-packaged bacon bits. So if you have time, that's the recommended option.
    • Lettuce. Romain offers crisp texture and holds up well with dressing. You can use shredded iceberg lettuce but it will wilt more quickly.
    • Ranch dressing. I prefer Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch but choose your favorite brand or variety of ranch dressing.

    Optional

    • Cheese. Cheddar cheese shredded or cubed adds heartiness, flavor and creaminess to this dish. Cheese is optional.
    • Red onion. This is optional but adds some crunch as well as some subtle spice.
    • Green onion. Also optional, green onions can add more crunch and spice.

    ★ How to Make this Recipe ★

    Here are the steps involved to make this recipe. It's quite easy!

    Full recipe steps are below, this is just an overview.

    How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
    1. Cook pasta.
    2. Drain pasta and add to bowl.
    3. Chop the main ingredients.
    4. Mix together dressing.
    5. Fold in dressing.
    6. Chill to marinate and then serve.

    ★ Tips & FAQs ★

    What's the best dressing for BLT pasta salad?

    Ranch is the classic go-to. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing is my favorite brand. It's packed with flavor and the buttermilk adds a nice tang. You can opt for another brand if you prefer. Or mix things up each time you make it by trying out a variation of the dressing. Explore and see what you like best. You can opt for light dressing to reduce calories.

    Can BLT pasta salad be made ahead?

    Yes, BUT. Because the lettuce wilts easily, you should combine everything except the lettuce. Cover and store in the fridge. Add chopped lettuce right before serving.

    How to store leftovers BLT pasta salad?

    Because the lettuce will wilt when combined with the dressing, I do not recommend storing leftovers. If you plan to make this and store it, I recommend offering lettuce on the side as a topping when serving.
    Then when storing leftovers, you can store the lettuce separately and add it to each serving when you're ready to eat.
    This pasta salad (without the lettuce) stores well for up to 3 days in the fridge.
    I do not recommend freezing this dish. The ingredients simply don't hold up when frozen.

    What can I use in place of lettuce for BLT pasta salad?

    Spinach works well and hold up better than lettuce. Diced celery also offers some of the same crunch and fresh flavor. You can simply leave it out too.

    ★ More Pasta Salad Recipes ★

    • Simple Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
      Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
    • Italian Pasta Salad with Creamy Olive Garden Dressing
      Classic Italian Pasta Salad (Vegetarian)
    • Sesame Noodles (Cold)
      Chilled Sesame Noodles with Carrots
    • Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
      Greek Orzo Salad

    Looking for more side dish ideas?

    Browse all my easy side dish recipes. Be sure to Pin your favorites for later!

    This 5-Ingredient recipe for BLT pasta salad was featured on South Your Mouth!

    BLT Pasta Salad

    BLT Pasta Salad

    Author: Angela G.
    This BLT pasta salad is an easy 5-Ingredient recipe, ready in 20 minutes! Made with buttermilk ranch dressing, crisp romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and salty bacon. Enjoy this pasta salad as a quick lunch or a side dish at cookouts or picnics.
    5 from 1 review
    Reviews
    Course: Sides
    Cuisine: American
    Skill Level: Easy
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 people
    Yield: 8 cups

    Equipment

    • insulated container
    • ice packs

    Ingredients 

    • 16 oz rotini pasta
    • 2 cup chopped romaine lettuce
    • 10 oz grape or cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
    • 1 cup chopped cooked bacon
    • 2 cups buttermilk ranch dressing Hidden Valley or your favorite brand

    Optional Ingredients

    • 1 cup shredded or cubed cheddar cheese diced
    • ½ cup red onion diced
    • 3 green onions thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley
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    Instructions

    • Cook pasta according to package, a dente.
      Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside and let cool.
    • In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta salad with chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and ranch dressing.
      Gently fold to combine.
    • (Optional) Fold in cheese, red onion, green onion and parsley.
    • Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Toss right before serving.

    Notes

    Marinating is not required but recommended for best flavor.
    Buttermilk adds a bit of tanginess. If you aren’t a fan of buttermilk, substitute regular ranch dressing.
    Any small pasta shape will work!
    Optional: Add white wine vinegar to brighten up the dressing and cut through the creaminess.
    I love the flavor and crunch that shredded cheddar and red onion add to this pasta salad but they are optional. If you want a plain BLT pasta salad, feel free to leave them out– or add in any of your favorite veggies.

    Nutrition Facts

    Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 711mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 994IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 1mg
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