This BLT pasta salad recipe is a enjoyable twist on the basic sandwich. Filled with recent veggies and avocado, it is a flavorful facet dish or gentle lunch.
BLT pasta salad! Okay, extra like TAT pasta salad, however this recipe has some critical BLT flavors occurring, so we’re sticking with that. As you may need guessed, there’s no precise bacon right here, simply my trusty tempeh bacon plus sun-dried tomatoes for an additional savory kick.
This BLT pasta salad recipe can be an excellent dish to cross at a Labor Day gathering this weekend, but it surely’s additionally hearty sufficient to be a vegetarian important dish. Pack it up for a weekday lunch, or serve it for a light-weight dinner. Whichever means you choose, I feel you’re going to adore it.
BLT Pasta Salad Recipe Elements
Right here’s what you’ll must make this BLT pasta salad recipe:
- Pasta, after all! I feel farfalle (aka bow tie pasta) is so cute and enjoyable right here.
- Tempeh bacon – Cooked in a tamari and rice vinegar marinade, this vegan bacon has a smoky, savory taste that’s surprisingly near the actual factor.
- Cherry tomatoes – The “T!” Their candy taste and juicy texture are a welcome addition to the salad.
- Arugula – As a substitute of blending recent lettuce into this salad, I add a handful of arugula. I really like how the tender leaves fold across the pasta and different veggies.
- Solar-dried tomatoes – For chewy texture and umami taste.
- Cucumber – For crunch!
- Purple onion – It provides extra crunch and sharp, savory taste.
- Avocado – Who doesn’t love avocado with bacon, lettuce, and tomato? Its creamy texture is incredible with the crispy bacon and tender pasta.
- And the dressing – Produced from olive oil, crimson wine vinegar, garlic, and dried herbs, it provides zingy taste to the salad and ties all of it collectively.
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
The best way to Make this BLT Pasta Salad
Step one to creating this BLT pasta salad recipe is making ready the tempeh bacon. You’ll reduce the tempeh into skinny strips, steam it, marinate it, and bake it till it’s browned and crisp. (Discover the whole recipe here!) As soon as it cools barely, use your fingers to interrupt it into small items.
In the meantime, prepare dinner the pasta. Cook dinner it in a big pot of salted boiling water till it’s simply previous al dente. As a result of it is a chilly pasta salad recipe, you wish to prepare dinner it lengthy sufficient in order that it’s nonetheless tender when it cools.
Whereas the pasta cools, make the dressing. Whisk collectively the dressing components on the backside of a giant bowl. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Then, add the tempeh bacon, sun-dried and cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Toss once more earlier than folding within the avocado and arugula.
Season to style, and serve!
BLT Pasta Salad Serving Ideas
This recipe is finest proper after it’s made, when the bacon is crisp and the avocado is inexperienced and recent. That being mentioned, it nonetheless packs up properly for picnics, cookouts, and make-ahead lunches. Simply maintain off on including the avocado till proper earlier than you’re able to serve.
Because of the tempeh, pasta, and avocado, this salad is sweet and hearty, so it could possibly simply cross as a meal by itself. I additionally prefer to serve it as a facet dish with basic cookout fare like veggie burgers, black bean burgers, and BBQ sandwiches. Spherical out the meal with different summer season facet dishes like fruit salad, grilled vegetables, or corn on the cob. Get pleasure from!
Extra Favourite Pasta Salads
If you happen to love this BLT pasta salad recipe, attempt one among these pasta salads subsequent:
BLT Pasta Salad
Serves 4 to six
This BLT pasta salad recipe is a enjoyable twist on the basic sandwich! Recent and flavorful, it is a scrumptious summer season facet dish or gentle lunch.
- 12 ounces farfalle pasta
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons crimson wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- Tempeh Bacon, damaged into small items
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup chopped solar dried tomatoes
- 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced crimson onion
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- ½ cup recent arugula
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Deliver a big pot of salted water to a boil. Put together the pasta in line with the package deal instructions, or till barely previous al dente.
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In the meantime, make the dressing. Within the backside of a giant bowl, whisk collectively the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, parsley and salt. Add the pasta and toss. Add the tempeh bacon, tomatoes, solar dried tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and toss once more. Gently combine within the avocado and arugula. Season to style and serve.
