BLT pasta salad is a creamy, crunchy side dish loaded with bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce. I make the pasta in the Instant Pot because it cooks hands-free while I prep everything else. No Instant Pot? Cook the pasta on the stovetop and the rest of the recipe stays the same.
Why This BLT Pasta Salad Works
The Instant Pot cooks the pasta fast. Four minutes at pressure and it is done. No waiting for a pot of water to boil. No hot kitchen in July. Quick release, drain, rinse cold, and move on.
The dressing is ranch, sour cream, and mayonnaise with a splash of apple cider vinegar. Ranch gives it tang. Sour cream lightens it. Mayo adds body. The vinegar cuts through and keeps it from tasting heavy.
Cavatappi pasta grabs the dressing. The spirals and ridges hold onto the creamy dressing better than a smooth noodle. Rotini or fusilli work too.
Serve it hot or cold. Hot right out of the Instant Pot when the dressing is warm and the bacon is fresh. Cold from the fridge the next day when the flavors have melded. Both work.
Cool the pasta before adding the dressing if you are not serving right away. Warm pasta absorbs moisture and the salad dries out. Let it cool first, then toss.
How to Make BLT Pasta Salad
- Cook the bacon first. Fry it in a skillet until crisp, drain on paper towels, and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- Pour 16 ounces of cavatappi pasta into the Instant Pot. Add three cups of water. Make sure the pasta is fully submerged. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Quick release immediately so the pasta does not overcook. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- While the pasta cooks, chop the romaine lettuce into thin ribbons, dice the tomatoes, and finely dice the red onion. Chop the chives.
- Make the dressing. Whisk together ranch dressing, sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper until smooth.
- If serving right away, toss the warm pasta with the dressing, then fold in the bacon, tomatoes, red onion, chives, and lettuce. If serving cold, let the pasta cool first, then toss with the dressing and fold in the other ingredients.
- No Instant Pot? Cook the pasta on the stovetop according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and proceed exactly the same.
Quick Tips
- Submerge the pasta completely in the Instant Pot. Any pasta above the water cooks unevenly.
- Quick release as soon as the timer ends. Natural release overcooks the pasta into mush.
- Cool the pasta before adding dressing if not serving right away. Warm pasta absorbs moisture and the salad dries out.
- Serve it cold. This salad is meant for potlucks and cookouts where there is no way to reheat anything.
Make Ahead and Storage
Cook the bacon and make the dressing a day ahead. Store separately. The day of, cook the pasta, chop the vegetables, and toss everything together.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. The lettuce softens but the salad is still good.
More Pasta Salads
For more pasta salads, try my easy Italian pasta salad with salami and Italian dressing. My grinder pasta salad is another creamy, sub-inspired salad that feeds a crowd. Browse all my pasta salad recipes for more ideas.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot BLT Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz. cavatappi pasta - cellentani, rotini, or fusilli works well too
- 4 cups romaine lettuce - chopped
- 8 slices bacon - cooked and chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes - chopped
- 1 small red onion - diced
- ¼ cup chives - diced
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups water - for liner
Instructions
- Instant Pot instructions below. For stovetop, cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water, and toss with the remaining ingredients.
- Prepare the bacon by either chopping already cooked bacon or frying bacon and chopping it.
- Add the pasta to the inner liner of the Instant Pot.
- Pour 3 cups of water over the pasta. Make sure the pasta is fully submerged.
- Close the lid and the vent.
- Set the Instant Pot to 4 minutes on High Pressure/Manual.
- Once the 4 minutes is up, quickly and intermittently release the pressure from the pot.*
- Meanwhile, while the pasta is pressure cooking, prepare the lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and chives by washing and chopping them.
- In a bowl, combine the ranch dressing, mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, and ground pepper together.
- Once the lid is removed from the pasta, give it a stir and and in the ranch dressing mixture.
- Stir in the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and the bacon.
- Serve or chill in the refrigerator to serve cold later.
- Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Submerge pasta fully in the Instant Pot. Quick release immediately when timer ends.
- Cool pasta before adding dressing if not serving right away.
- Cavatappi or any spiral pasta works best for grabbing the dressing.
- No Instant Pot? Cook pasta on the stovetop and follow the same steps.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
