BLT Pasta Salad

It's a well known fact that I'm a huge fan of bacon. In an effort to make bacon seem healthier, I decided to surround it with vegetables. I love blt sandwiches, but they seem soooo bad for you, especially when slathered by mayo. So this salad attempts to take all the elements of the blt, with a slightly less mayo-heavy dressing.

BLT Pasta Salad
original recipe

12 oz dried pasta
12 oz bacon
1 ½ pts grape tomatoes, halved (I used a combination of red and yellow)
1c packed baby arugula leaves

Dressing:
¼ c mayonnaise
¼ c buttermilk (lowfat is fine)
¼ tsp onion powder
⅛ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
2 tsp lemon juice


Cook pasta until done. Pour pasta into a colander to drain cooking liquid, then pour pasta into a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking process. Once cooled, drain pasta back into the colander. Set aside. Cook bacon until browned and crispy. Place on a paper towel-lined plate. When cool enough to handle, break into pieces.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients. Whisk until well combined.

In a large bowl, toss pasta, bacon, grape tomatoes, and arugula. Add dressing and toss until dressing evenly coats the salad.