BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

BLT avocado pasta salad is a delicious pasta salad that’s perfect for a light lunch, a weeknight dinner side, potlucks, or holiday get-togethers. It’s full of the delicious flavors of bacon, ranch, avocado, grape tomatoes, and more, and everyone always loves it.

When you think of pasta salad, what comes to mind? Chances are you think of a heavy mixture of pasta, some sort of rich condiments like mayo or sour cream, and noodles all mixed up into one dish. Most pasta salads are like that, and they’re all good, to be sure. However, sometimes you want a pasta salad that’s heavy on flavor but that won’t leave you feeling like you swallowed a boulder. That’s where this delicious BLT avocado pasta salad comes in.

This pasta salad has a ton of flavor, but it won’t leave you feeling like you ate a ton of food. It’s equally delicious as a side or a full meal because it’s filled with delicious ingredients. but it’s not bathed in a thick sauce so it won’t leave you feeling heavy. It’s the best of all pasta salad worlds, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

How We Got to BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

There are two food creations that are combined to make this dish – the BLT and pasta salad. Without either of these, we wouldn’t have this recipe and believe me, that would be a shame. So before we dive into the recipe, let’s look at where its two predecessors came from.

History of the BLT

Although the individual ingredients for the BLT have been around forever, it seems that no one thought to put them all together until the early 1900s. As far as food historians can tell, there’s no mention of this particular ingredient combination in any sandwich before that time.

That’s right, what is today known as one of the fastest, tastiest, and most classic sandwiches is really only about 120 years old. That’s practically a baby in terms of food history. The earliest known mention of the BLT was in the 1903 Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book. Inside it was a recipe for a club sandwich made of bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey, and mayo. Over the years, the sandwich gained in popularity and saw an explosion of sandwich fame after World War II with the expansion of supermarkets which made the ingredients readily available year-round.

History of Pasta Salad

Pasta has been around for thousands of years. In fact, some of the earliest known records of pasta date back to over 3,000 years ago in, you guessed it, Italy. Because we always tend to associate any pasta dish with Italy, it might surprise some of you to discover that what we know as today’s pasta salad in North America is actually far more of an American dish than an Italian one.

Italians tend to prefer their pasta to be served hot and as a separate course. So things like spaghetti, lasagna, and the like are absolutely Italian dishes. However, pasta salad and its predecessor the cold macaroni salad are both distinctly American dishes and have been found in cookbooks for decades and decades.

BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

Our BLT avocado pasta salad takes everything we love about the classic BLT sandwich and pasta salad and smashed them together into one great recipe. It has all the flavors we love in a BLT and a lighter approach to the creaminess that we can’t get enough of in pasta salad. When you combine them, you get a recipe that is perfect for any occasion. It’s a great lunch, dinner, side, or appetizer. However you choose to serve it, one thing’s for sure. Everyone is going to love it.

Variations

You can do a few different things with this salad to give it a personal touch. Of course, if you do something like replace the bacon, you won’t have a BLT in your BLT avocado pasta salad, but that’s okay. Cooking is all about creativity and having fun. I’m going to stick with variations on this recipe that will still keep it in the BLT family, however.

Different Lettuces

I used hearts of romaine lettuce, but you can use any lettuce you’d like, just as you might on a BLT. The only lettuce I wouldn’t recommend is iceberg lettuce. It has very little flavor even though it is the recommended lettuce for an actual BLT sandwich. Some good lettuce options for this dish include:

• Red Leaf
• Butter
• Arugula
• Little Gem
• Loose-leaf Lettuce

Different Pasta

Although I opted for tri-color rotini, any sort of similar short noodles will work. You can find all kinds of pasta shapes and varieties from classic semolina to whole wheat, spinach, and more.

Tips

I only have one tip for this BLT avocado pasta salad, and that is this, dice the avocado right before serving. If you dice the avocado in advance, it will turn brown. It’s not an appealing sight.

Serving BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

The BLT avocado pasta salad is a complete meal. It’s a hearty, but not too heavy, dish that really doesn’t need to be served with anything else if you’re using it as a main course. Of course, you can also bring it as a side or even a main dish to a potluck or holiday get-together, as well. It goes wonderfully with lots of different foods, like beef, chicken and pork recipes, and it’s great as a side with barbecue meals as well.

Storing BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

This pasta salad will keep well in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for a few days. You can’t freeze this salad, so be sure you eat it all up within five days. Frankly, this pasta salad is so good, it will almost certainly be gone right after it is served.

This BLT Avocado Pasta Salad Today

A recipe as simple, delicious, and versatile as this BLT Avocado pasta salad is deserves to be tried. And I highly encourage you to do so. It’s packed with flavor, and it’s perfect for almost any occasion from weeknight dinners to special get-togethers and everything in between. Give this recipe a try, and I’m sure both you and your family will agree that it’s a winner.

Ingredients Needed to Make BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

For the Salad

• Romaine lettuce
• Grape or cherry tomatoes
• Crispy Bacon
• Pasta
• Avocados
• Croutons
• Cheddar cheese, shredded

For the Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing

• Ranch Dressing
• Avocado
• Cilantro

How to Make BLT Avocado Pasta Salad

Step 1: Making Avocado Ranch Dressing

Using a blender or Vitamix, blend avocado, ranch dressing, and cilantro together until smooth. Set aside.

Step 2: Assembling the Salad

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. In a large bowl, add all ingredients for salad, and toss together. Pour dressing over salad, mix together and enjoy.

Try This Delicious BLT Avocado Pasta Salad Today

More Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• Bow Tie Pasta Salad
• Macaroni Salad
• and this delicious Crispy Chicken Salad from Great Grub, Delicious Treats

Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest