This pasta salad keeps the bacon, lettuce and tomato combination and adds rotini, cheddar and a creamy ranch dressing. It is a substantial cold side for a cookout or a simple lunch plate.
Chill the dressed pasta first, then fold in the romaine and cooked bacon at the last minute. That keeps the lettuce from sitting in the dressing for hours and gives the bacon a better chance of staying crisp.
Before you begin
You will need a pasta pot, colander, a pan or tray suitable for cooking bacon according to its package directions, a large mixing bowl, shallow storage containers and a refrigerator thermometer. For outdoor serving, have ice or a well-packed cooler ready.
Makes 6 generous side servings. Estimated prep: 20 minutes. Cooking: 30 minutes, with pasta and bacon cooked at the same time. Chilling: at least 1 hour. Total: about 1 hour 50 minutes, or longer if the ingredients need more time to chill. Cooking sequentially will take longer.
Gather your ingredients
- 12 ounces (340 g) dry rotini pasta
- 8 thick-cut pork bacon slices
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
- Optional: 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 cup (4 ounces/115 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup commercial ranch dressing
- Optional: 1/4 cup commercial mayonnaise
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional: up to 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, added only after tasting
- Optional: 1 tablespoon chopped chives or parsley, for serving
Let’s make it
- Cook the bacon fully according to its package directions, allowing approximately 20–30 minutes for thick-cut bacon, depending on the method and thickness. Cook until crisp throughout, not partly cooked. Drain on paper towels, cool briefly and crumble. Refrigerate promptly while the salad chills; keep it separate until serving for better texture.
- Meanwhile, cook the rotini in boiling water according to its package directions until al dente, usually about 9–12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain very thoroughly. Spread in a shallow container and refrigerate promptly while preparing the other ingredients; do not leave warm pasta on the counter to cool slowly.
- Wash and dry the tomatoes, romaine and optional herbs before cutting. Halve the tomatoes and chop the romaine; keep the romaine chilled separately. Dice the optional onion. In a large bowl, whisk together the ranch dressing, optional mayonnaise and black pepper.
- Add the cooled pasta, tomatoes, cheddar and optional onion to the dressing and toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and until thoroughly chilled to 40°F (4°C) or below. Keep the bacon and romaine refrigerated separately.
- Just before serving, fold in the cooked crumbled bacon and chopped romaine. Taste and add the optional salt only if needed; the bacon, cheese and dressing already contribute salt. Scatter over the optional chives or parsley. Serve cold and keep the serving bowl chilled over ice if it will remain out.
A few crafty little tips
- Drain the rinsed pasta thoroughly so water does not dilute the dressing.
- Dry washed romaine well and keep it cold until the final toss.
- Cool pasta before adding the dressing and cheese. Use shallow containers rather than leaving a deep pot on the counter.
- Taste before salting: bacon, ranch and cheddar already add plenty.
- Cook the bacon fully before assembly. The finished salad has no later cooking step.
Make it your own
Bowtie pasta can replace rotini by the same dry weight; follow its package cooking time. Leave out the optional mayonnaise for a lighter coating, or the optional onion for a milder salad. These choices do not require extra dressing. The base recipe does not include chicken, eggs or avocado.
Store it for later
Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers at 40°F (4°C) or below, within 2 hours or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F (32°C). For best texture, refrigerate the dressed pasta without lettuce and bacon for up to 1 day before serving, then fold those in. Leftovers are best eaten within 2–3 days, counting any earlier storage of the cooked bacon or pasta; lettuce will soften. This shorter quality window is within USDA’s 3–4-day leftover guidance.
Keep cold salad at or below 40°F during transport and serving, using a cooler and ice packs or a serving bowl nested in ice. Discard salad left without safe temperature control for over 2 hours, or over 1 hour above 90°F; chilling it again does not undo unsafe holding. See FDA outdoor food safety guidance.
Freezing is not recommended for this assembled salad because lettuce and tomatoes lose texture and creamy dressing may separate. Serve refrigerated leftovers cold rather than warming the whole salad.
Quick questions
Can I make it the night before?
Yes. Prepare and chill the pasta mixture, then keep the washed, dried lettuce and cooked bacon in separate refrigerated containers. Fold them in just before serving. The pasta may absorb dressing overnight; toss well before deciding whether it needs any adjustment.
Is the mayonnaise required?
No. The optional 1/4 cup makes the coating richer. Use commercial ranch dressing and, if wanted, commercial mayonnaise for this version; it does not call for raw-egg homemade dressing.
Does the bacon stay crisp?
It gradually softens once mixed with the dressing. Keeping it separate until the last minute improves texture but cannot guarantee crunch after storage.
Can it sit on a picnic table?
Only briefly unless it is kept at 40°F or below. Put out small portions over ice and leave the remaining salad in the cooler. Follow the 2-hour limit, reduced to 1 hour above 90°F.
Give it one final gentle toss just before serving so the bacon and romaine are spread through the bowl.
Loaded BLT Pasta Salad
Rotini with tomatoes, cheddar and creamy ranch dressing, finished with crisp cooked bacon and romaine just before serving.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340 g) dry rotini pasta
- 8 thick-cut pork bacon slices
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
- Optional: 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 cup (4 ounces/115 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup commercial ranch dressing
- Optional: 1/4 cup commercial mayonnaise
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional: up to 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, added only after tasting
- Optional: 1 tablespoon chopped chives or parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon fully according to its package directions, allowing approximately 20–30 minutes for thick-cut bacon, depending on the method and thickness. Cook until crisp throughout, not partly cooked. Drain on paper towels, cool briefly and crumble. Refrigerate promptly while the salad chills; keep it separate until serving for better texture.
- Meanwhile, cook the rotini in boiling water according to its package directions until al dente, usually about 9–12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain very thoroughly. Spread in a shallow container and refrigerate promptly while preparing the other ingredients; do not leave warm pasta on the counter to cool slowly.
- Wash and dry the tomatoes, romaine and optional herbs before cutting. Halve the tomatoes and chop the romaine; keep the romaine chilled separately. Dice the optional onion. In a large bowl, whisk together the ranch dressing, optional mayonnaise and black pepper.
- Add the cooled pasta, tomatoes, cheddar and optional onion to the dressing and toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and until thoroughly chilled to 40°F (4°C) or below. Keep the bacon and romaine refrigerated separately.
- Just before serving, fold in the cooked crumbled bacon and chopped romaine. Taste and add the optional salt only if needed; the bacon, cheese and dressing already contribute salt. Scatter over the optional chives or parsley. Serve cold and keep the serving bowl chilled over ice if it will remain out.
Notes
Makes 6 generous side servings. Estimated prep: 20 minutes. Cooking: 30 minutes, with pasta and bacon cooked at the same time. Chilling: at least 1 hour. Total: about 1 hour 50 minutes, or longer if the ingredients need more time to chill. Cooking sequentially will take longer.
Bowtie pasta can replace rotini by the same dry weight; follow its package cooking time. Leave out the optional mayonnaise for a lighter coating, or the optional onion for a milder salad. These choices do not require extra dressing. The base recipe does not include chicken, eggs or avocado.
Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers at 40°F (4°C) or below, within 2 hours or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F (32°C). For best texture, refrigerate the dressed pasta without lettuce and bacon for up to 1 day before serving, then fold those in. Leftovers are best eaten within 2–3 days, counting any earlier storage of the cooked bacon or pasta; lettuce will soften. This shorter quality window is within USDA’s 3–4-day leftover guidance.
Keep cold salad at or below 40°F during transport and serving, using a cooler and ice packs or a serving bowl nested in ice. Discard salad left without safe temperature control for over 2 hours, or over 1 hour above 90°F; chilling it again does not undo unsafe holding. See FDA outdoor food safety guidance.
Freezing is not recommended for this assembled salad because lettuce and tomatoes lose texture and creamy dressing may separate. Serve refrigerated leftovers cold rather than warming the whole salad.
Can I make it the night before?
Yes. Prepare and chill the pasta mixture, then keep the washed, dried lettuce and cooked bacon in separate refrigerated containers. Fold them in just before serving. The pasta may absorb dressing overnight; toss well before deciding whether it needs any adjustment.
Is the mayonnaise required?
No. The optional 1/4 cup makes the coating richer. Use commercial ranch dressing and, if wanted, commercial mayonnaise for this version; it does not call for raw-egg homemade dressing.
Does the bacon stay crisp?
It gradually softens once mixed with the dressing. Keeping it separate until the last minute improves texture but cannot guarantee crunch after storage.
Can it sit on a picnic table?
Only briefly unless it is kept at 40°F or below. Put out small portions over ice and leave the remaining salad in the cooler. Follow the 2-hour limit, reduced to 1 hour above 90°F.
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