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Summer BLT Pasta

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A bright, mayo-free pasta salad that turns the classic BLT into a lemon-herb summer dish, perfect for picnics and potlucks.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound cavatappi pasta
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ pound thick-sliced bacon
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cups mixed lettuce greens
  • ⅓ cup chopped parsley
  • ⅓ cup sliced basil
  • ¼ cup chopped dill
  • ¼ cup sliced chives
  • 1 lemon (zest + juice)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
  3. Drain and rinse with cool water.
  4. Toss the pasta with the olive oil and refrigerate to chill.
  5. Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C).
  6. Roast the bacon on a sheet pan until crisp and browned, about 12 minutes.
  7. Drain bacon on paper towels, cool, and roughly chop.
  8. In a large bowl, combine chilled pasta, cherry tomatoes, lettuce greens, parsley, basil, dill, and chives.
  9. Zest and juice the lemon over the salad, tossing to coat.
  10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  11. Top with chopped bacon and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Use thick-cut, applewood-smoked bacon for the best crunch and flavor.
  • Chill pasta and bacon separately; toss everything together just before serving to keep greens crisp.
  • Any short pasta shape (penne, farfalle) works if cavatappi isn’t on hand.
  • For a vegetarian version, swap bacon for smoked tempeh or coconut bacon.

Nutrition

Keywords: BLT pasta salad, summer pasta, bacon lettuce tomato salad, lemon herb pasta, picnic side

Find it online: https://zesticook.com/summer-blt-pasta-2/