Friday, March 28, 2008

BLT Pasta Salad


My sister Kati is an extremely picky person to please....especially when it comes to food. She came over for dinner one night and I had made this pasta salad with dinner. She loved it, we all did.
Prep Time: 1 hour 10 min
Cook Time: 19 min
Servings: 8
  • 1 (16 ounce) box whole-wheat pasta, shells or macaroni
  • 6 strips bacon
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 large leaves romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
  • 1 cup bacon-flavored ranch dressing

Bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil; add pasta and cook 9 minutes, until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water until pasta reaches room temperature. Place into a large bowl. Cover and set aside.

Cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon into pasta.

Add tomatoes to pasta. Cut lettuce leaves in half lengthwise, then roll into a tight cigar; slice into 1/2 inch shreds and add to pasta. Add mozzarella to pasta.

In a separate bowl, combine pesto and dressing. Pour over pasta and stir to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, until chilled. Enjoy!

2 comments:

Autumn said...

This looks really good, I think I might make 3 servings of it today (for 2 other families also). Just so I know, what is the romaine lettuce supposed to look like when its done? What consistency? I imagine it will be soggy, is that right? Is it more for looks/function than to eat? Thanks!

Traci Elizabeth said...

Yes, the lettuce is a little soggy, but it is really good in the salad. i have a picture from the magazine I will post so you can see.