This could be the BEST pasta salad I’ve ever made. It’s just so perfect and even 3 years after making it I can’t stop thinking about how dreamy it is.
This BLT pasta salad was an idea that came to me after Tony and I started making amazing BLT sandwiches with avocado for our lunches (we were on a real bacon kick for a few weeks!). There is something so comforting and delicious about a classic BLT sandwich that I started thinking about how good it might be deconstructed into a pasta salad. A few nights later, I developed this recipe and fell head over heels in love. Trust me when I tell you, you need to make it.
Before you get started, I do want to mention that the jalapeño cashew dressing really helps tie it all together. That’s right, instead of ranch or a dressing made with sour cream or mayonnaise, we’re tossing everything together with a creamy, dairy free dressing that has a hint of heat and coats every nook and cranny of the pasta. Don’t be afraid to try something new and different than what you’re used to! It’s DAMN GOOD.
Enjoy this incredible pasta salad as a dinner, lunch or even side dish at your next BBQ!
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BLT pasta salad ingredients
This easy BLT pasta salad is basically just made up of your fav pasta, some fresh summer veggies, and a simple cashew sauce you’ll absolutely fall in love with. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Jalapeño cashew dressing: we’re using this recipe for the dressing. IT IS AMAZING, packed with flavor, and dairy free! See ya later, ranch dressing mix.
- Bacon: the B in the BLT, baby! The bacon adds salty, crispy bites to the pasta salad. Feel free to use turkey bacon if you’d like.
- Pasta: I suggest using bowties (AKA farfalle) or large shells so that the dressing gets in all of those nooks and crannies, but feel free to use any pasta you’d like (even gluten free pasta). Elbow macaroni or rotini pasta would also be great!
- Corn: for a fresh, summer twist and slight sweetness. You can use grilled, raw or sautéd corn!
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: tomatoes add juicy bursts in every bite. I love using heirloom cherry tomatoes for color variety.
- Red onion: for a little extra zip.
- Romaine lettuce: the L in BLT! Romaine holds up really well in this BLT pasta salad and adds a wonderful crunchiness.
- Avocado: can’t forget about creamy avocado. Nothing better! I like to pick a just slightly ripe avocado so it stays firm in the pasta salad.
How to cook the best bacon
You can absolutely cook your bacon on the stovetop, but if your burners are full (and to avoid some mess) learn how to cook bacon in the oven here! It will be perfectly crunchy and delicious for this BLT pasta salad.
Customize your healthy BLT pasta salad
One of the best parts about this easy, dairy free BLT pasta salad? It’s great for customizing to fit the needs of guests or use up what you have on hand. Here’s what I can suggest:
- Pick your bacon: feel free to swap the regular bacon for turkey bacon or even omit to make this salad vegan & vegetarian.
- Add protein: some grilled chicken or chickpeas would be perfect for an extra boost of protein.
- Cheese it up: add a sprinkle of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan or feta for a little more savory indulgence.
- Missing the bread? Try some fun croutons if you’re missing the toasty bread of your favorite BLT sandwich!
Let’s chat dressing
We’re lightening up this BLT pasta salad with a dairy free jalapeño cashew dressing that you’ll fall in love with. It’s easier to make than you think, but if you’d like to go nut free you can always use this homemade ranch dressing instead. Feel free to add jalapeño to the dressing, or toss thinly sliced jalapeños in the pasta salad itself.
Tips for making perfect BLT pasta salad every time
With a few tips and tricks, I guarantee you’ll fall in LOVE with this delicious pasta salad recipe.
- Don’t overcook your pasta. You’ll want to make sure you cook your pasta until just al dente so that it doesn’t end up mushy in the salad. Feel free to run the pasta under cold water after you drain it to help stop the cooking and cool it off before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Use the right avocado. Choose a ripe, but still firm, avocado so that the cubes don’t fall apart in the salad.
- Grill your corn. Yes, you can easily use raw, canned, or even thawed frozen corn in this recipe, but I’m obsessed with the flavor that grilled corn adds. Learn how to grill corn here!
How to store BLT pasta salad
This BLT pasta salad will stay fresh covered in the fridge for about 3-4 days. It’s delicious made ahead of time, too, so feel free to prep it the night before a picnic or bbq, or prep it for your weekday lunches. I would recommend adding the avocado when you’re ready to serve so that it stays fresh.
Make it ahead of time
You can easily make this pasta salad a couple of days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator! I’d recommend leaving the avocado and romaine off of the salad until you’re ready to serve it as they’ll lose their freshness the fastest.
You could also chop up all of your veggies, cook your pasta & bacon, make the dressing, and store it all in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble everything!
More pasta salad recipes to try
- Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
- Peach, Tomato & Corn Arugula Pasta Salad
- Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese
- Roasted Veggie Mediterranean Pasta with Goat Cheese
- Avocado & Tomato Chickpea Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Get all of my salad recipes here!
I hope you love this damn good BLT pasta salad recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment so I know how you liked it. You can also share a photo on Instagram and tag #ambitiouskitchen. Enjoy, xo!
Damn Good BLT Pasta Salad with Creamy Jalapeño Cashew Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 batch of jalapeno cashew cream dressing
- For the pasta salad:
- 12 ounces bacon
- 10 ounces pasta of choice (I suggest bowties or large shells, gluten free if desired)
- 1 ½ cups corn, grilled, raw or sauteed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I love using heirloom cherry tomatoes for color variety)
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 2-4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 slightly ripe but still firm avocado, diced
Instructions
- While the cashews are soaking for your dressing, I suggest chopping all your veggies and having them ready to go. You can also cook your bacon: add bacon to a large skillet or pan and place over medium heat, cook bacon on both sides until crispy and golden brown. If the pan starts to smoke at any point, simply lower the heat. I always cook my bacon on medium low heat. Once bacon is done, blot with a paper towel to absorb excess grease, then chop into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- Next cook your pasta until al dente, drain and then place in a large bowl. Add all of the jalapeno cashew dressing, then stir together to combine. Next add the chopped bacon, corn (I prefer grilled or sauteed), halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, romaine lettuce and avocado. Gently toss again, then taste and adjust seasonings as necessary, adding more salt and pepper if you’d like. Serves 6, or 4 as a larger meal. Garnish with extra corn, tomatoes, red onion, avocado and bacon.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on July 30th, 2020, republished on June 24th, 2022, and republished May 16th, 2023.
55 comments
Stunning and I am sure delicious. Definitely trying!
XX Angelica
Hope you love it!
This salad was fantastic! Took to a potluck and received rave reviews from those who tried it. People couldn’t believe the dressing was made of cashews. Like all Ambitious Kitchen recipes this will definitely be made again!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Our family of 5 all loved this meal. Omitted the onion because heartburn and used a less hot pepper for the dressing, but otherwise made as is. So delicious! Used a full box of pasta and it’s almost all gone.
Perfect! So glad everyone loved it!
This was amazing! Made it exactly as written. Can’t wait to make it again
Perfect! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Loved this recipe! Was a crowd pleaser and felt very light after eating. So awesome!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
My new favorite salad recipe!! So many amazing flavors.
The best! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Just made this for the third time. I love it! I use turkey bacon and add a sprinkle of crispy jalapenos on top when I serve it. So very good! Thanks so much for this recipe, the cashew cream sauce is amazing!
Perfect! Love the crispy jalapeños 🙂
I love this recipe! I’ve made it 3 times in the past 6 months (and I make the full recipe as a weeks worth of meals for myself)! This recipe is really great for someone who is new to cooking like me! I kept it as is and highly recommended the dressing. I’ve also used ranch but I think the homemade dressing is better. I used a little less jalapeño in the dressing, and a little less tomato and onion but other than that kept everything as is!
I did make the jalapeño dressing but found it very bland and too “earthly” tasting. I would not make the dressing again.
Sorry to hear that! Check out our other great dressings & sauces here 🙂
Very versatile. Thanks a lot.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Holy flavor bomb! This was absolutely DELICIOUS!
I wanted to mix up my usual rotation of recipes and this was the perfect addition. I used the note at the bottom of recipe to sub dressing with the Greek Yogurt Ranch (also added jalepeno and Mikes Hot Honey to dressing for a bite)
Added bbq chicken thighs for some added protein and voila magical Monday night dinner!
Hot honey sounds amazing with the dressing! So glad you loved this one 🙂
Sounds delicious, but where are the details about the dressing ie: how many oz of cashews, water & us 1 jalapeño sufficient? I watched the video, but it goes quickly.
I found the dressing recipe. Mussed that it was on another link. I look forward to making this, maybe for dinner warmth some chicken slices chips.
Glad you found it! Can’t wait for you to try it. Hope you love it!
My family loved this recipe! It was a perfect, quick summer dinner. I used bolthouse cilantro and avocado dressing instead of the creamy cashew sauce, and it was still delicious.
That’s a great idea!! So happy that you guys loved it 🙂
SO GOOD! It’s one of those salads that tastes the best the next day. It does take a while to make, but it’s worth it!
🙂 So happy you’re loving it, Nicole!
Another GREAT recipe!! My husband even said “there is no other name for this – it really is a ‘damn good salad’!!”
Absolutely delicious and now added to our rotation of FIVE of your other recipes for dinners!
😍 I’m SO happy to hear that, Catherine! Glad you guys are loving the AK recipes!
I would like to make the dressing but my boyfriend is allergic to cashews, and neither of us like ranch. Do you think I could just use mayo or milk or something else….?
Hi, Paula! I think mayo or greek yogurt would work well 🙂
The most difficult part of this recipe was cooking the bacon and slicing tomatoes. I think I can live with that! I wanted to lick the bowl, but as I am a grown up, I didn’t let anyone see me! I cooked the bacon in the oven, poored off most of the bacon grease, and roasted the tomatoes and onions for a few minutes (allergic to raw tomato). I also used some left over roasted garlic from another recipe on this site. I did not find the sauce at all spicy, so next time I will kick up the heat a bit more (personal taste). This was a hit all around! Thanbk you for sharing another wonderful recipe!
Thanks for sharing all of this, Lori! I’m so happy you loved it. Great call on roasted tomatoes and onions–that sounds amazing!
What a fun salad! Make this for cook outs and it’s always such a hit! Love the little bit of kick and I always leave with an empty bowl!
I am completely obsessed with this recipe (never thought I’d say that about salad??). I’ve made it a few times now and crave it when I make it.
I like to meal prep and I will make this for a week of lunch by cutting everything and putting into containers. Then will make a fresh bowl for lunch by combining everything!
Omg amazing!! So happy you’re loving it. So good for meal prepping!
MONIQUE. Oh my goodness, this pasta salad! It was absolutely stunning, We loved it sooooo much!! The flavors and textures!! We used tomatoes, corn, and jalapeno from the farmers market – SO GOOD. Perfect way to showcase summer produce. I also doubled the jalapeno sauce, because we love sauce. We ate it warm with wilted spinach instead of lettuce, and it was amazing!
Oh yay!!! I’m so happy to hear that, Jessica! SUCH a great recipe for farmers market veggies. Thanks for sharing!
This was a big hit with the family! I would definitely bring this to a potluck bbq!
I’m so glad you all loved it! Yay!!
This was delicious! I recommend going easy on the red onion because when it’s paired with the cashew dressing the salad gets very spicy! On that note, I would love to see this salad paired with a different flavored cashew dressing. So good overall though! Tasted like a big summer sandwich in a bowl.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but plan on trying it soon! Where is your cookbook? Would love to purchase one! Thanks
So excited for you to try it! And I haven’t published one yet but will keep you updated 🙂
Made this for a summer bbq and got so many requests for the recipe – the bowl was totally emptied! Another hit from AK 👍👍
Delicious! My husband and I are loving eating this salad for our dinner meal prep this week! All the ingredients pair so nicely, and the sauce is delicious! We added chicken for extra protein. I also roasted the corn with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Thank you!
I’m so glad! One of my fav pasta salads EVER 🙂
I had to make a meal for a family at church that just had a baby. I was looking for something to go with my barbecue chicken and found this recipe. Oh my goodness! It is delicious. I wasn’t sure about the dressing that one I had and made it. It was delicious! I hope the new couple likes it. But, I know I love it and can’t wait to make it for my husband! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Ahh I’m so glad you loved it, Brenda! It’s one of my fav pasta salads EVER 🙂
Can’t wait to make this. If you were looking to save time and didn’t want to make the dressing. Do you have an alternative dressing recommendation!? Thanks!
You could try my Homemade Ranch Dressing or use store bought ranch dressing (although I highly recommend the homemade one😉)!
This is sooo good! Comes together quickly and the jalapeño cream is delicious. Another winner!
Yum! One of my favorites! SO glad you’re loving this recipe, Becca!
On Repeat – there are not a lot of recipes we put on repeat but this is a definite keeper. The dressing is perfect with the salad ingredients. Prep is fairly simple and not many ingredients but they are simple and perfect. Try this – you won’t regret it.
Ah this is the best! So glad you’re loving this recipe and it made your repeat list. Thanks so much for your review ❤️