Monday, May 21

BLT Pasta Salad



It's finally that time of year where we spend as much time outdoors as we can. Soaking up the sun, breathing in the fresh air and having cookouts with family and friends. Sometimes it's not all that easy to find a dish to bring to a cookout that can handle being left out in the heat for any period of time. This pasta dish can. In fact, it tastes it's best when served at room temperature. That makes it great for traveling too! 


Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta (I used bow-tie)
1/2 cup milk
12 oz. bacon
3 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
4 TBLS. chopped chives
5 cups chopped Romaine hearts


Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with milk in a large bowl. Set aside.


Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all dripping from the pan except 3 TBLS. Add chopped tomatoes and garlic to the pan with the bacon drippings and toss until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. 


Crumble bacon into bite size pieces, setting aside 1/4 cup for garnish. Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture into the pasta. 


Mix mayo, sour cream and 3 TBLS. of the chives with the pasta until well combined. Season again with salt and pepper. Add Romaine hearts and toss again to coat. Garnish with the reserved bacon and chives.


You can serve this right away or refrigerate until meal time. I made this a day ahead of time, refrigerating it and then bringing it to room temperature before serving. It also tastes great cold though. 

No comments: