BLT Pasta Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

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

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Author: Si Foster

Course: main, Main Course, main salad, side

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 as a side salad

A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients 

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

• adapted from The Huffington Post
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, well shaken
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, dill, parsley, chives, chopped fine (all or a combo of these)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 dashes Tabasco or other hot sauce
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:

• 1/2 pound bacon
• 2 large heads romaine lettuce, washed and dried (about 16 cups of loosely packed lettuce)
• 1 pound grape or Roma tomatoes
• 1-1 1/2 pounds cheese-filled ravioli (I use a 1-pound 4-ounce package)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix

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Instructions

Prepare Dressing:

• Place all of the dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake until blended well.
• Or, using an immersion blender, place all of the ingredients in a jar and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Salad:

• Cook bacon in oven or in a skillet on medium heat. Remove bacon and place on paper towels. Pat any remaining grease off of bacon. Chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook. Rinse with cold water and drain. Coat with olive oil and then toss with 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.
• Chop lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
• Slice grape tomatoes in half, or if using Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks.
• Arrange the lettuce in a large bowl. Place the tomatoes on the lettuce and top with cooled pasta. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, toss the salad, sprinkle with bacon, and drizzle with fresh ranch dressing. Serve salad with additional dressing on the side.

Notes

Dressing:

When purchasing buttermilk, I try to buy brands that are thick and creamy. Here in Utah, my favorite brand is Winder Dairy. Their buttermilk is significantly thicker than other brands. If you are concerned about being able to use all of the buttermilk, try making ABK’s Buttermilk Pancakes, Buttermilk Biscuits, Buttermilk Syrup, or Blueberry Buttermilk Scones.

I usually double the dressing recipe so I can have leftovers for other salads.

I do not recommend using dry buttermilk for this dressing.

Salad:

Use any type of filled pasta in this salad. I like cheese-filled or a combination of spinach and cheese-filled ravioli, but tortellini also works well.

You may add more lettuce to stretch the salad a little further. If doubling this recipe, double the lettuce, but use only one and a half times the bacon, tomatoes, and pasta.

Any type of lettuce may be used, even spinach. I prefer romaine for its firm texture, which supports the heavy pasta and tomatoes in this dish.