BLT Macaroni Salad
If you enjoy the classic BLT sandwich then you’re guaranteed to love this BLT Macaroni Salad!
I don’t know about you but I love taking classic dishes and adding my own personal twist to them. It’s a sure way to keep meals interesting using similar ingredients which means overall grocery bill savings and raving reviews at the dinner table.
Enjoy a comforting meal of soft macaroni, loaded with crispy bacon pieces, crunchy salad ingredients and a creamy mayo ranch dressing…yummy!
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RECIPE TIPS
- Cooking your pasta till it’s al dente will ensure that you don’t end up with overly soft pasta. Remember, your pasta will still cook slightly after being removed from the boiling water.
- This BLT Macaroni Salad is intended to be served at room temperature or slightly chilled. Don’t heat it up in the microwave prior to serving as this will wilt your crunchy salad ingredients.
- You can enjoy this pasta salad as a main meal or a side dish. Homemade dinner rolls, grilled chicken kebabs, corn on the cob or hamburgers all go well with this BLT Macaroni Salad.
How to Make BLT Macaroni Salad
- Cook bacon at 450 degrees until crispy. Allow to cool, crumble and set aside.
- Boil elbow macaroni in slightly salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Combine mayo, sour cream and ranch seasoning.
- Add sugar and apple cider vinegar, whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl combine macaroni, bacon, tomato, onion and lettuce, top with dressing. Mix together all the ingredients.
- Serve immediately topped with extra bacon and tomato.
HOW SHOULD I STORE THIS BLT MACARONI SALAD?
- Most pasta salads last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days but it really depends on the ingredients used. Since this BLT Macaroni Salad includes fresh salad ingredients, I recommend that you only store it for 1-2 days maximum otherwise the lettuce and tomatoes may become soggy which will impact on the texture and flavor of this delicious pasta dish.
- When storing your BLT Macaroni Salad, use an airtight container or store leftovers in the serving bowl with plastic wrap tightly covering the top.
- Do not freeze this BLT Macaroni Salad. The fresh salad ingredients will not hold up well in the freezer and you’ll end up with a mushy pasta dish.
HOW CAN I MAKE THIS BLT MACARONI PASTA SALAD IN ADVANCE?
- I’m a strong advocate of preparing pasta just prior to serving so that you get the beautiful soft al dente texture without it having soaked up too much of the wet ingredients which can make it soggy.
- For this reason, I recommend that you prepare the bacon, dressing and salad ingredients ahead of time and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days prior to assembling your pasta salad. In fact, it’s best if you leave the lettuce till serving time as well.
- If you still want to make and assemble your entire BLT Macaroni ahead of time, do so only a day before serving and store in the refrigerator. The macaroni pasta may absorb some of the creamy dressing while sitting in the refrigerator so if you see that your pasta is a little dry the following day, simply add a touch more mayo.
BLT Macaroni Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 pound of bacon cooked and crumbled
- 16 ounces of elbow macaroni
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes diced
- ½ of a red onion diced
- 1 cup romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook bacon at 450 degrees F. until crispy. Allow to cool, crumble and set aside
- Boil elbow macaroni in slightly salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Combine mayo, sour cream and ranch seasoning
- Add sugar and apple cider vinegar, whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl combine macaroni, bacon, tomato, onion and lettuce, top with dressing. Mix together all the ingredients.
- Serve immediately topped with extra bacon and tomato.
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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This salad is fantastic! I made a couple of very minor substitutions (rotini, bacon bits, and white wine vinegar) and only used half the sugar, but I don’t think that changed the recipe too much. It was a huge hit at my brother-in-law’s birthday dinner!