Tangy Tomato BLT Pasta Salad

BLT Pasta Salad

This pasta salad has been a family favorite for decades. It is the perfect pasta salad for Summer. I like to mix all mine and I keep it in the fridge to snack on for several days. To me, it doesn’t get soggy but if you are worried it will you can keep all the components prepped and separate and combine each time you eat.

Tomato Powder

The one unique ingredient I use for this recipe is this tomato powder I get for $8 on amazon. I will link it HERE. This powder is JUST dehydrated tomatoes. A lot of people think it is like the tomato bouillon but it is not. The bouillon has salt and MSG so that would be too much salt for this recipe. If you absolutely do not want to order this powder you can omit it, but it really amps up the tangy tomato flavor of this salad. I use the powder in many other recipes like soups, stews, pasta sauce, I add it to mayo for sandwiches. I use it to make salad dressing, it is great in chili. I highly recommend getting it for this salad though, because it will blow you away how good it makes the dressing.

A Great Way To Use Those Garden Tomatoes

We are all looking for ways to use up all the tomatoes we grow and this is a great way to include them in Summer meal planning.

Full, Printable Recipe Below

BLT Pasta Salad

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An easy, cool salad for the Summer. This is always a family favorite in our house! IO make it weekly for a perfect lunch or side dish to go with anything on the grill.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of bacon, cooked until crispy, drained and chopped
• 2 heads of romaine, chopped
• 3 cups of rotini pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
• 1 to 2 cups of diced tomato
• 2 teaspoons of tomato powder (highly suggested but optional)
• 2 teaspoons of celery salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon of dill (or to taste)
• black pepper to taste
• 1.5 cups of mayo

Instructions

1. to make your bacon, spread a pound of bacon on a cookie sheet, place in a cold oven and set temp to 350 degrees, after the oven reaches 350 degrees, bake for about 15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy, drain the bacon on paper towel, cool and chop.
2. wash and chop 2 heads of romaine
3. boil 3 cups of rotini, drain, rinse and cool
4. mix the mayo with the tomato powder, celery salt, dill and black pepper.
5. dice your tomatoes
6. toss the salad, pasta and tomatoes together, then add the dressing, refrigerate for about an hour or longer, add the chopped bacon right before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!