Blt Pasta Salad

Blt Pasta Salad

Creamy mayonnaise and Greek yogurt dressing tossed with Ditalini shaped pasta, crispy chopped bacon, shredded green lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and red pepper flakes.  

Serve for barbecues, holidays, potlucks and as a side dish. With the first week of spring in full bloom, I’ve been looking for a reason to get outside and celebrate.  Spring in Louisiana means that the trees have bloomed and it’s heating up outside.  I’ve come to appreciate spring in the south as it’s perfect in every way before the heat and humidity start in May.  This past weekend, we had friends visiting from Wisconsin.  While they were in their swimsuit and jumping in the pool, I was preparing the food.

Since it’s the first grill of the season, I want it to be special.  I’ve been waiting for this day for months and this BLT Pasta Salad just seems like the perfect dish to celebrate with. This time of year I love to hit up visit a few local farmer markets.  I stock up on anything that is in season and store in the refrigerator then plan meals around each hull.  What I dislike the most about stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables is that some of it goes bad pretty quickly.

Ingredients

• 16 ounces Ditalini shaped pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil , divided
• 12 slices bacon , chopped
• 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
• 2 - 3 cups chopped green lettuce
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 - 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese , shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes , optional

Instructions

1. In a medium pot over medium high heat, cook 16 ounces of pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, cook bacon in skillet over stove top then chop once cooled. Drain pasta and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil; set aside. Chop lettuce and tomatoes. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, Greek yogurt and pasta noodles then toss everything together until coated. Stir in lettuce, chopped bacon, tomatoes, red pepper flakes and cheddar cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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