Tangy BLT Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt

Trust me. You will NEED to make this over and over the minute you taste this BLT pasta salad. Not only is it packed with the classic flavors of bacon, lettuce, and tomato, but it comes with a tangy mix of whole milk greek yogurt and mayo, topped with fresh cracked pepper and salt. Your barbecue guests will be fighting with one another for the last licks.

A riff off a classic macaroni salad, this is the best pasta salad you'll make this summer (and winter, and spring...) and for good reason. It's flavorful with absolutely no crazy or weird ingredients, is great as a leftover for lunch, and can be prepped days in advance. I love making my caprese pesto pasta salad and my veggie-packed green goddess pasta salad for these reasons, too.

Trusted Pasta Salad Tips and Reminders

1. To yield the best results while eating, let the pasta salad chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. In my experience from making a variety of pasta salads, you want the flavors to meld together, and when it chills, it helps all of the creaminess come together as well as the other flavors of the ingredients. It's best to let the mixed pasta salad chill before serving.
2. Dice the bacon smaller than you may think. In my first test of this, I diced the bacon and left it in pretty large pieces, which, fine, at the same time, I would have liked the bacon to be more dispersed. I would suggest finely dicing the bacon into smaller bites, liken to bacon bits (sort of).
3. If you want added crunch, use shredded cabbage! Cabbage actually has a delicious flavor in this, and softens when set in the fridge mixed with all of the other ingredients. I accidentally used cabbage the first time I made this, and I loved it.

The Main Ingredients

1. Elbow Macaroni - No pasta salad is complete without macaroni (or a similar short, tubular pasta). Macaroni catches the greek yogurt and mayo mixture evenly, and when cooked al dente, has a slight chew when bitten into.
2. Bacon - What is a BLT without the bacon? Nothing. I chose to use pre-cooked bacon for this so that I didn't have an extra step to prolong the making of the pasta salad. Feel free to make fresh bacon, but know, store-bought is totally fine!
3. Cherry Tomatoes - Tomatoes are an essential part of a BLT so of course, I had to throw a smaller version into the mix. Cherry, or grape tomatoes are perfect for this.
4. Shredded Lettuce - As a said earlier, I happened to use shredded cabbage in my first test, and in my second, shredded lettuce. Either work, but the lettuce is pretty classic.
5. Greek Yogurt - A little added tang, protein, and extra creaminess comes from the greek yogurt.
6. Mayonnaise - Mayo is a staple ingredient in a pasta salad, so we use just enough to make it tangy and flavorful without being too mayo tasting. IYKYK.

Simple Recipe Swaps

• If you are dairy free, feel free to use an egg-free mayonnaise and a dairy-free greek yogurt. This will inevitably change the taste slightly due to the nature of the ingredients, but the texture should remain the same.
• If you do not eat bacon, you can use turkey bacon or a meat-alternative for bacon. Similar to the dairy-free greek yogurt and mayo, this will definitely change the taste, but not the texture.
• You can definitely use shredded cabbage as I did the first time I made this if you'd rather that instead of the shredded lettuce.
• To ramp up the flavors of this summer pasta salad, add some red pepper flakes or paprika for slight smokiness and color.

How to make a BLT pasta salad with greek yogurt

Step 1: Cook, then drain and let cool elbow macaroni pasta, then add to a large mixing bowl with quartered cherry tomatoes and diced bacon.

Step 2: Mix together the greek yogurt with mayonnaise until fully combined. To the pasta and tomatoes and bacon, pour the greek yogurt and mayo mixture into the pasta and mix to combine. Make sure all the pasta is coated.

Step 3: Add in the shredded lettuce, salt, and pepper, then use a spatula to fold in and combine well. Let set in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.

BLT Pasta Salad FAQs

Check out these other incredible salads

Tangy BLT Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt

Morgan Peaceman

This BLT pasta salad comes with a tangy twist of greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and of course, the classic BLT ingredients you know and love.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 433 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  large mixing bowl
• ▢
  large pot
• ▢
  strainer
• ▢
  spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 16 oz elbow macaroni
• ▢ 4 slices bacon finely diced
• ▢ 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes quartered
• ▢ 2 cups shredded lettuce
• ▢ ¾ cup greek yogurt room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup mayonnaise room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

 

• Cook, then drain and let cool elbow macaroni pasta, then add to a large mixing bowl with quartered cherry tomatoes and diced bacon.
• Mix together the greek yogurt with mayonnaise until fully combined. To the pasta and tomatoes and bacon, pour the greek yogurt and mayo mixture into the pasta and mix to combine. Make sure all the pasta is coated.
• Add in the shredded lettuce, salt, and pepper, then use a spatula to fold in and combine well. Let set in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.

Notes

To yield the best results while eating, let the pasta salad chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. In my experience from making a variety of pasta salads, you want the flavors to meld together, and when it chills, it helps all of the creaminess come together as well as the other flavors of the ingredients. It's best to let the mixed pasta salad chill before serving.

Dice the bacon smaller than you may think. In my first test of this, I diced the bacon and left it in pretty large pieces, which, fine, at the same time, I would have liked the bacon to be more dispersed. I would suggest finely dicing the bacon into smaller bites, liken to bacon bits (sort of).

If you want added crunch, use shredded cabbage! Cabbage actually has a delicious flavor in this, and softens when set in the fridge mixed with all of the other ingredients. I accidentally used cabbage the first time I made this, and I loved it.

Nutrition

Calories: 433kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 15gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 566mgPotassium: 358mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 218IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1mg

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