This Instant Pot BLT Pasta Salad is a summertime favorite side dish perfect for potlucks and BBQ’s.
Chopped bacon, romaine lettuce, red onion, and juicy tomatoes are tossed in a delicious ranch dressing with spiral pasta to create a flavorful side dish delicious served hot or cold!
What's a BLT?
BLT stands for bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Traditionally, a BLT is a delicious sandwich but pasta lovers, rejoice - it makes a great pasta salad!
BLT Pasta Salad
This BLT Pasta Salad is not only absolutely delicious but it is also incredibly easy to make.
Making this recipe in the Instant Pot is quick as well because the pasta cooks quickly and the kitchen doesn’t get hot like cooking in on the stovetop!
What makes this dish so perfect for potlucks, parties, and summer cookouts is how great it is to serve as a hot or cold dish.
This “bring a dish” is perfect when there is no way to warm anything before serving and is great for grabbing the dish right out of the refrigerator and serving - no heating required!
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Ingredients in Instant Pot BLT Pasta Salad
Very simple ingredients are used in this pasta salad and this dish comes together in just a matter of minutes.
To save time when making this side dish, cook the bacon ahead of time, it makes this dish come together even quicker!
For the recipe with the ingredients and their amounts, continue down to the recipe card!
- Bacon - cooked and chopped into small pieces
- Tomatoes - chopped into small pieces
- Red onion - a small red onion will do just fine, diced
- Ranch dressing - your favorite kind!
- Sour Cream
- Mayonnaise - this helps balance the ranch dressing and gives it body
- Apple cider vinegar
- Ground black pepper
- Romaine Lettuce - washed and chopped
- Chives - fresh chives gives a nice garlicky-onion flavor
- Pasta - I use Cavatappi pasta but any spiral pasta works well because it grabs the dressing in the twists of the pasta.
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How to Make Instant Pot Pasta Salad
To make this pasta salad in the Instant Pot come together quickly, start with already cooked bacon or begin the process of preparing your bacon to be chopped for the pasta salad. Chop the cooked bacon into small pieces and set aside.
Pour the 16 ounces of the spiral pasta into the inner liner of the Instant Pot and pour three cups of water on top of the dry pasta.
Make sure the pasta is submerged under the water completely before pressure cooking the pasta.
If the pasta is not completely covered by the water then the pasta that is sticking out of the liquid will still be firm and will not cook evenly with the rest of the pasta. For best results, submerge the dry pasta completely.
While the pasta is pressure cooking in the Instant Pot, prepare the other ingredients by washing and chopping the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and chives.
In a bowl, combine the ranch dressing, sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper. Stir the ingredients well and set them aside.
Once the four minutes are up on in the Instant Pot, carefully and intermittently release the pressure from the pressure cooker. Keep away from the face and refer to your pressure cooker’s manual for how to safely perform a quick release.
Always refer to your pressure cooker's manual for how to safely use its functions.
You will want to perform a quick release because if the Instant Pot naturally releases pressure once the time is up, the pasta will overcook and will be mushy.
Open the lid and stir the pasta. Pour in the ranch dressing mixture and stir to combine it with the pasta. Once it is combined, mix in all of the other ingredients.
Once everything is mixed it can either be served right away or you can chill it in the refrigerator and serve it cold.
TIP: If not serving right away, allow the pasta to cool before mixing in the mayonnaise. This will prevent the pasta from absorbing moisture and drying out.
Heating this Instant Pot BLT Pasta Salad is not necessary which makes this a fantastic and tasty dish to bring to cookouts and BBQs!
This pasta salad is yummy in packed lunches, too!
📖 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
- 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
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
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
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.
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