ROTD: BLT Pasta Salad

The classic BLT Sandwich is a time honored, tried and true recipe that doesn’t seem to ever be going out of style. Perfectly balanced smoky bacon strips, with fresh crisp lettuce and juicy slices of tomato with a dab of mustard and mayo make for the perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner treat when you don’t feel like whipping up a huge meal. 

For those of you tired of eating sandwiches like your in grade school we decided to spruce up things a bit and turned the BLT into the BLT Pasta Salad and couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

Enjoy!!

BLT Pasta Salad

Ingredients

12 oz corkscrew-shaped pasta

½ cup milk

12 oz lean bacon

3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 TBS chopped fresh thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

4 TBS chopped chives or scallion greens

5 heads Bibb lettuce, quartered, or 5 cups chopped romaine hearts

Directions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs.

Drain and toss with the milk in a large bowl; set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.

Drain on paper towels.

Discard all but 3 TBS drippings from the pan.

Add the tomatoes, thyme and garlic to the pan and toss until warmed through; season with salt and pepper.

Crumble the bacon into bite-size pieces; set aside ¼ cup for garnish.

Toss the remaining bacon and the tomato mixture with the pasta.

Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and 3 TBS chives with the pasta until evenly combined.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add the lettuce; toss again to coat.

Garnish with the reserved bacon and the remaining 1 TBS chives.

Serve at room temperature.