BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

5 from 4 votes

With all the flavors of a BLT but with a healthier spin, this BLT pasta salad is bright, satisfying, flavorful, and mayo-free (and you won’t miss it!).

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Total Time55

Course: Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Grace Vallo

Ingredients

½ pound pasta of choice I like whole wheat penne
½ pound thick sliced carved turkey cut into strips (or sub turkey chunks)
½ pound turkey bacon diced*
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or sub regular parmesan
5 ounces romaine lettuce chopped into bite-sized pieces
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon
black pepper
fresh basil to garnish (optional)
½ tbsp anchovy paste (optional)

Instructions

For turkey bacon: dice bacon into small bits. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a nonstick pan and sauté bacon over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes until bacon is extra crispy. Add more olive oil if bacon starts to stick to bottom of pan. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and rinse pasta in colander under cool water to stop cooking process and remove excess starch.
To assemble: Add rinsed pasta to a big salad bowl. Add in crispy turkey bacon, turkey strips, tomatoes, romaine, juice of a large lemon, ¼ cup olive oil, anchovy paste, parmigiano, and black pepper.
Toss. Add more olive oil if dry.
Serve room temperature or slightly chilled. Garnish with basil.
To store: Saves well in the fridge for 3 days, however romaine will wilt! I recommend leaving out romaine if you plan to save in the fridge for later! Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving, adding in fresh romaine and olive oil.

Video

Notes

I use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, which if cooked until super crispy, is such a yummy, healthier alternative to regular bacon!

Nutrition