BLT Caesar Pasta Salad
When I was vacationing in Myrtle Beach a few months ago I had the pleasure of eating this super yummy caesar pasta salad. I can’t remember the name of the place to save my life but it was a little pizzeria close to our hotel. I didn’t really have high hopes for the pasta salad, just wanted a side dish besides wings or breadsticks.
To my surprise I loved it!! It was my first time having pasta salad with caesar dressing and also having one with romaine lettuce in it. The lettuce totally works y’all! Besides providing the salad with a nice pop of green it makes it taste really fresh. I’ve been craving that caesar pasta salad ever since and so I just had to try to recreate it. I was so excited to see a BLT Caesar Pasta Salad recipe over on sixsisterstuff.com. A little adjusting and it tastes exactly like the one I had at Myrtle Beach!
It’s a simple, addictive pasta salad with easy ingredients and yep, it’s going into my recipe stash right beside the bacon cheddar ranch pasta salad and the Fresh Italian Pasta Salad. I am a firm believer that you can never have too many pasta salad recipes, especially in the summer time when you need something quick, fresh and yummy to serve up with grilled meats.
My son hates caesar dressing but somehow likes this blt caesar pasta salad. I guess because all the other flavors compliment the dressing so well and everything is only lightly coated.
Now if you want to make this ahead and serve it later for a cookout, I’d combine everything but the bacon, lettuce and cheese. When you’re ready to serve it go ahead and toss those things in with a tad bit more dressing if needed. I’ve mixed it all up and ate it the next day and it was still great but if you want that super fresh crunch of the lettuce and bacon and firmness of the parmesan cheese, it’s best to add it when you’re ready to serve it.
Watch me make this BLT Caesar Pasta Salad From Start to Finish!
Get the Recipe: Caesar Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups mini bow-tie pasta, uncooked
- 12 strips bacon, crumbled
- 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 2.25 oz black olives, sliced
- 3/4 cup Caesar Dressing + more if needed, use a good quality kind
- 1 cup curly romain lettuce, chopped
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Small seasoned croutons, optional
- Black pepper, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook pasta until al dente (about 6 minutes)
- Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
- Cook bacon and crumble it into small pieces.
- Add bacon to the pasta, along with the tomatoes, olives, and dressing.
- Toss to coat ingredients lightly with dressing. Add more dressing if needed.
- Add in lettuce and parmesan cheese.
- Add black pepper and seasoned croutons, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
I usually never measure. Just add as much as I like.
Add small seasoned bread crumbs if desired
Could also add in lemon zest and pine nuts
Want to serve this at a later time? See note in post.
My family and I just had this for dinner and it was a slam dunk! I substituted the cherry tomatoes with sundried tomatoes and we loved it. Will definitely make it again.
grl…. This looks the bomb!!!!!
Girl it don’t make no sense how good this dish is! Every recipe I try is fabulous! Keep ’em coming. This blog has truly been a lifesaver from me scratching my head trying to figure out what to feed my family. Thanks so much… 🙂
This salad is so good! I have taken it to a graduation party and a ladies night. Everyone raves about it and wants the recipe. A friend of mine who was not at the party heard about it and called to see if I had any leftovers!
This was such a big hit with my family of 4 boys, thank you!!! I love your recipes & your youtube posts that come with it. I check your website often for a lot of things I cook for my family Thank you, keep sharing!!!!!
this looks soo good can’t wait to try it..still kinda cold here (st .louis) hopes it warms up soon .so i can fire up the grill and give this recipe a try…