Is there a better combo than BLT? Such a simple idea combining salty, crunchy, smooth and creamy in a sandwich. The colors, the flavors, and the textures are what make this sandwich a favorite for so many. This recipe combines all of those amazing flavors into a simple and colorful salad!
If you take time to do the little things while making this salad – fry and chop the bacon (instead of buying pre-cooked bacon bits), make your own ranch dressing with fresh herbs and garlic (instead of using a bottle of ranch), I promise you will taste the difference.
Oh, and the homemade Ranch dressing? It’s hard to go back to bottled once you make your own.
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all the difference.
BLT Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1/2 lb bacon
- 1 large head Romaine lettuce, washed and dried (yield about 16 cups of loosely packed lettuce)
- 1 lb Grape tomatoes or Roma tomatoes
- 1-1 1/2 lb cheese-filled ravioli, I use a 1 lb 4 oz package
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dry Ranch dressing mix
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:
- adapted from The Huffington Post
- 1/2 cup well shaken buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh: tarragon, dill, parsley, chives (all or a combo of these)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- two dashes Tabasco or other hot sauce
- Coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare dressing:
- Place all of the dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake until blended well.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. If you have an immersion blender place all of the ingredients in a jar and pulse until the herbs are chopped fine.
Salad:
- Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and place on paper towels. Pat any remaining grease off of bacon. Place on a cutting board and chop. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook. Rinse with cold water, drain. Toss the pasta with 1-2 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons prepared dry ranch dressing mix. Refrigerate until ready to use. Let the pasta cool completely before adding to the salad, or the pasta will wilt the lettuce.
- Cut the lettuce into bite size pieces.
- Slice the grape tomatoes in half, or if using Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks.
- Arrange the lettuce in a large bowl. Place the tomatoes over top of the lettuce and top with cooled pasta. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, toss the salad a bit, sprinkle with bacon and drizzle with fresh ranch. Serve salad with additional dressing on the side.
- Serves12 as a side dish
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!
Gentry
I've been looking for a great ranch dressing that isn't mayo based. Just to clarify, you use only 1 tsp of fresh herbs for this recipe. Do you use the combo you listed? Have you tried dry herbs?