This Gluten-Free BLT Pasta Salad takes every part you’re keen on a couple of traditional bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich and transforms it right into a hearty, crowd-pleasing pasta salad. Made with easy, real-food substances and tossed in a creamy, tangy home made dressing, this gluten-free recipe is straightforward to make, full of taste, and ideal for summer time gatherings.
Whether or not you’re planning an off-the-cuff weeknight dinner, a make-ahead lunch, or a dish that can impress at your subsequent cookout, this BLT pasta salad checks all of the containers: simple, customizable, gluten-free, dairy-free possibility, and completely scrumptious.
Straightforward Pasta Salad Recipe
This BLT Pasta Salad takes certainly one of my all-time favourite sandwiches and turns it into essentially the most scrumptious gluten-free pasta dish. It’s loaded with tender pasta, hard-boiled eggs, recent veggies, and crispy bacon.
It’s a flavorful, hearty, creamy pasta salad with a crunch. All of which makes this dish an ideal mild summer time meal or BBQ aspect dish, your name!
Elements Wanted
Right here’s what goes into this Gluten-Free BLT Pasta Salad:
For the Salad:
- Gluten-Free Pasta: Select a brief form like elbows, shells, or bow ties. Prepare dinner till simply al dente for the very best texture.
- Crispy Bacon: We advocate utilizing high-quality, nitrate-free bacon. Prepare dinner till crisp, then crumble. We normally order ours from ButcherBox.
- Recent Cherry Tomatoes: Juicy and candy, they add a pop of coloration and taste; simply lower them in half.
- Romain Lettuce: Roughly chopped recent romaine is the right “L” for our BLT pasta salad recipe.
- Scallions: Gentle onion taste provides brightness when sliced thinly.
- Onerous-boiled Eggs (optionally available): Onerous-boiled eggs are optionally available, however they add a protein punch.
- Sizzling Sauce (optionally available): Sizzling sauce can also be optionally available, however nice for many who love a little bit further kick.
Creamy Pasta Salad Dressing
- Mayonnaise: The bottom for our creamy dressing. I like avocado oil mayo, however any will work, or attempt my home made paleo mayo!
- Apple cider vinegar + lemon juice: for a vivid, tangy steadiness.
- Garlic and onion powder: Basic taste boosters.
- Paprika + dried dill: For a contact of heat and herby taste.
- Sea salt and black pepper: Rounds all of it out
Professional Tip: This dressing is creamy, herby, and tremendous versatile – attempt it on different pasta salads or as a dip for recent veggies.
The best way to Make Gluten-Free Pasta Salad
This recipe comes collectively rapidly with only a few simple steps:
- Prepare dinner the pasta: Observe package deal directions and prepare dinner till simply al dente. Rinse with chilly water to cease the cooking, cool it down, and set it apart.
- Prepare dinner the bacon: Whereas the pasta cooks, crisp up the bacon within the air fryer or oven. Let it cool and crumble into bite-sized items.
- Prepare dinner the onerous eggs: Make hard-boiled eggs both on the range or within the Immediate Pot.
- Prep the veggies: Chop the lettuce, slice the tomatoes and scallions, and quarter the eggs – if utilizing.
- Make the dressing: Whisk collectively all dressing substances till clean and creamy.
- Assemble the salad: In a big bowl, toss the cooled pasta with bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, scallions, and eggs.
- Add dressing and blend: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss till it’s well-coated. Style and alter seasoning as wanted.
- Serve or chill: This salad could be served instantly or chilled for as much as 5 hours earlier than serving.
What Pasta To Use
Actually, any pasta will work right here! I really like utilizing gluten-free rice pasta (made with solely brown rice) as a result of it’s the best for me to digest. My two favourite pasta manufacturers are Jovial and Tinkyada.
Nevertheless, any sort of pasta works, so be happy to make use of no matter smaller pasta form or sort your coronary heart wishes.
Suggestions for the Greatest Gluten-Free Pasta Salad
- Don’t overcook your pasta. Gluten-free pasta can turn out to be mushy if overcooked. Stick with al dente for the very best texture, which implies barely undercooked.
- Rinse the pasta and funky fully. Make sure you rinse the pasta with chilly water instantly after cooking. This stops the cooking course of and removes extra starch, stopping it from turning into mushy. The pasta have to be cooled earlier than including the lettuce to keep away from wilting.
- Maintain parts separate if making forward – retailer the pasta, bacon, lettuce, and dressing in particular person containers and assemble earlier than serving for the freshest outcome.
- Serve instantly. As soon as assembled, this pasta salad is finest instantly or inside 5 hours!
- Lighten it up. Be at liberty to swap the mayo out for plain Greek yogurt when you want a lighter possibility. This isn’t my desire, however it’s going to work.
- Add different mix-ins. Get inventive! Pasta salad is tremendous customizable. Add cubed cheddar, different greens like pink pepper, broccoli florets, celery, or pink onion. Combine in chopped avocado, or add one other meat. Shredded rooster could be scrumptious!
- Double the dressing – In case you want a saucy consistency, think about making further dressing to maintain readily available.
*Bonus, right here’s our favourite salad choppers to make use of!
What to Serve with BLT Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is hearty sufficient to function a primary dish but additionally makes an unimaginable aspect for all of your summer time meals or BBQ’s. Pair it with Air Fryer Hen Breast, Baked Hen Caesar Salad Burgers, My Go-To 10-Minute Sautéed Shrimp, My Household’s Favourite Grilled Hen Thighs or Air Fryer Salmon, you title it! It’s additionally a fantastic possibility for meal prep—simply preserve the dressing separate and blend when able to eat.
Make Forward & Storage Notes
Make forward: The salad could be made as much as 5 hours upfront, totally assembled. For finest outcomes, preserve substances separate till simply earlier than serving.
Storage: Leftovers could be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Remember the fact that the lettuce could wilt barely and the bacon could lose its crispness over time.
FAQs
In fact! In case you’re having fun with right now, you’ll be able to assemble as much as 5 hours upfront, when you’re eager to get pleasure from in a day or two, simply go away the parts seperate till you’re able to get pleasure from. The dressing can be good for 3 days as soon as prepped.
I don’t advocate it. Pasta doesn’t maintain up nicely within the freezer and the recent substances on this recipe will turn out to be watery when thawed.
You may retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Have in mind the feel of the lettuce and tomato can be affected and the bacon gained’t be as crispy!
Positively. Merely omit the optionally available hard-boiled eggs and use a dairy-free mayo within the dressing. The salad is of course gluten-free and could be simply tailored to swimsuit different dietary wants.
Extra Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Watch the Video:
- Pasta Salad:1 package deal gluten-free pasta 12 ounce bag, cooked in accordance with package deal directions
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 2 heads romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 1 package deal nitrate-free bacon cooked till crispy
- 1/4 cup scallions sliced skinny
- Non-compulsory: 4 hardboiled eggs sliced into quarters
- Non-compulsory: a touch of scorching sauce
- Dressing:1 cup mayonnaise I like avocado oil mayo
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt extra to style
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper extra to style
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Place all salad substances into a big mixing bowl.
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In a high-speed blender, mix all dressing substances till nicely mixed.
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Pour dressing over salad substances and blend nicely.
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Cowl and refrigerate till able to serve!
Energy: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 21.7gProtein: 8.7gFats: 17.1gSaturated Fats: 3.8gLdl cholesterol: 25mgSodium: 610mgFiber: 2.2gSugar: 3.8g
