BLT Chickpea Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 pound chickpea pasta, (such as rotini, penne, or bowtie)
- 10 slices bacon
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce or baby spinach
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, (optional)
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 3 tbsp buttermilk (or milk)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta.
- Lay the bacon in an even layer on the wire rack and bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crispy. You can skip the wire rack if you don’t have one.
- Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate to cool then chop into small, bite-size pieces.
- While bacon is cooking, mix the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Add the pasta to a large bowl with the chopped bacon, tomato, lettuce, and red onion. Reserve ¼ cup dressing to garnish at the end.
- Drizzle 3/4 of the dressing on the pasta salad and toss to coat everything well.
- Arrange the reserved bacon, lettuce and tomato on top.
- Drizzle the remaining dressing on top and top with more fresh dill just before serving.
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