BLT Pasta Salad Avocado (Printable Version)

Hearty pasta tossed with bacon, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and a creamy lemon dressing.

# List of Ingredients:

→ Pasta

01 - 10 oz short pasta (fusilli, rotini, or penne)
02 - 1 teaspoon salt for boiling water

→ Bacon

03 - 6 slices bacon

→ Vegetables

04 - 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 1 large ripe avocado, diced
06 - 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
07 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ Dressing

08 - 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
09 - 2 tablespoons sour cream
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
11 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
12 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Optional

14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or chives, chopped

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, place the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until crisp, turning occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Once cool, chop into bite-sized pieces.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, green onions, and most of the bacon (reserve a little for garnish). Add the dressing and toss gently to coat.
05 - Just before serving, gently fold in the diced avocado.
06 - Transfer to a serving platter or bowl. Garnish with the remaining bacon and optional herbs. Serve immediately, or chill for up to 2 hours for a colder salad.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like you've been in the kitchen for hours when really you've just cracked open some ingredients and let them do the work.
  • The combination of crispy bacon, cool pasta, and creamy avocado creates this unexpected texture party that keeps you coming back for another bite.
  • It works as a main dish when you're hungry or as a side when you're feeding a crowd, making it genuinely flexible for real life.
02 -
  • The avocado is a timing game, and adding it too early is the most common mistake, so resist the urge to prep it ahead even though everything else in your life might be telling you to.
  • A cold or room temperature salad changes everything about how you taste it, so decide which you prefer before you assemble it and work backwards from there.
03 -
  • Drizzle a tiny bit of lemon juice directly on the diced avocado if you're not serving within thirty minutes, because it slows browning without making the salad taste lemony.
  • Taste the dressing on its own before you add it to the salad because mayonnaise-based dressings can taste flat until they coat something warm or cold, and you might need more salt or lemon than you think.
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